Gainful Employment 5 (1/2)

The Calamity that wiped out Monotal could be said to have served as a sort of wake up call for the Empire’s complacent nobles. Take for example the Lord in charge of Erosa. In the past he had been quite stingy with the city’s defensive budget, although the same could be said of many of his peers. However, that changed practically overnight when the grim rumors surrounding Monotal were confirmed to be true.

Money was poured into the guardsmen responsible for Erosa’s security. Equipment was ordered and delivered, salaries were raised and training and recruitment drives were started. The lord even went as far as authorizing so-called ‘power Leveling’ trips for his men. This was a practice whereby an individual would pay a group of powerful adventurers to act as babysitters. He or she would attack strong monsters and inflict some modicum of damage, and the bodyguards would then swoop in and clean them up.

While it was true that this method led to a dramatic increase in one’s Job Level and any related Attributes, it also meant that their Skills and Masteries would be left woefully undeveloped. There was also the very real problem that such ‘hollow power’ would often lead one to become overconfident since their battle sense and combat experience were flawed. So while ‘power Leveling’ was effective, it was also quite frowned upon by the adventuring community.

Still, the province was in a state of emergency. The lord had to take drastic measures to make sure that not only was Erosa kept safe, but that its citizens also felt safe. As a result of such drastic measures, the city’s security force experienced an explosive grown in both quantity and quality. It went from about 200 guardsmen that had an average Level of 20 to 400 well-armed soldiers with a Level of at least 35 within the span of 6 days.

Patrols were tightened and security checks were beefed up. There was even an anti-intrusion enchantment placed along the walls that would trigger an alarm should someone or something fly over them. It caused quite a few problems until it was calibrated to ignore most common birds, but that was a minor hiccup. There were, of course, more major hiccups. Many of the newly hired guards, for example, didn’t particularly care for the people and simply wanted to get paid. There were even a few bad apples who tried their hand at smuggling or absconding with their issued weapons and armor, but were quickly rooted out.

The overall result of this initiative was still quite positive despite these problems. The commoners were reassured their taxes were well-spent and those adventurer types that poured in from all over the country were less inclined to stir up trouble. It was too early to tell if it had any sort of effect on the crime rate, but that was unlikely.

While patrols within the city’s walls increased, the slums were mostly ignored by law enforcement and its residents were still treated as nothing more than a statistic. Nobody with any actual power would really notice or care if a bunch of them went missing. They were too busy focusing on external threats, rather than internal ones. So while there were a few more guards keeping order on the street, the vast majority of them stood guard at the gates, kept watch from the city’s ramparts or patrolled the immediate area outside the stone walls.

And tonight was no different. There was a regiment of 14 guards standing at attention at the city’s northern entrance, even though the sun had set long ago and the vast majority of the town’s population was fast asleep. 8 of them were outside the walls while the remaining 6 kept an eye on the inside. And one of those 6 noticed a pair of shadows approach him from the street.

“Who goes there?” he called out.

His colleagues immediately raised their guard at his words. The torches that surrounded the area around the gate bathed their surroundings in a warm yellow light, but it was still hard to make out people’s faces until they got closer.

“It is I, my child,” called out the smaller silhouette with a clear, calming voice.

The image of a humble nun in service to the Goddess Teresa gradually became clearer with every step she made. She wore a plain, dark gray habit with the image of a small golden hammer embroidered on either shoulder. Her face was easy on the eyes and, although she looked to be in her early 20s, carried herself with an undeniable sense of grace and humility.

“Ah, sister Lyo?” said the guard after he recognized her. “Going out to gather Moonblossoms again?”

“Indeed, my child. I am afraid the orphan in my care is still suffering from night terrors.”

Moonblossoms were a kind of herb said to bestow sweet dreams to anyone who drank tea made from its petals. The catch was that the flower withered quite quickly and, as suggested by the its name, only bloomed under the moonlight.

“And, uh, mister tall, dark and gruesome there will be your escort?”

The guard pointed towards the person following behind the nun. He was a heavyset man that stood at over 2 meters in height. The heavy cloak he wore concealed both his face and his body. This highly suspicious individual never spoke, and merely nodded his head deeply in response to the guard’s inquiry.

“Are you certain you will be fine with just him?”

“Do not fret, my child. He is most capable.”

“Well yeah, I know it’s not the first time you’ve hired him, but I can’t help but worry sending you out there with a shady guy like that.”

“I appreciate your concern, but please be at ease. I trust my dear cousin with my life.”

“Ah, your cousin is it?”

If the good sister said it was so, then it must be the truth. Hammerites like her abhorred lying, no matter the circumstances.

“Apologies, sister Lyo. I just can’t help but worry. I, uhm, heard about the break-in at the temple.”

Someone had snuck into the temple of Teresa and absconded with one of the Holy Pearls kept there. Pretty much the entire city knew, even though it was discovered only this afternoon.

“Indeed, a very horrid affair,” said the nun with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I pray the misguided soul who took that sacred treasure see the light of Her Truth.”

The nun raised her right hand up to her face and kissed the tips of her middle and index fingers, then pressed them to her forehead and then to her heart. Many of the guards present there repeated the religious gesture. Its meaning could be loosely interpreted as ‘let my mouth speak the truth in my mind and heart.’

The well-meaning guard then ordered his men to make way for the devout nun and her companion. They guided them respectfully through the heavily guarded door on the side of the gate and kept a watchful eye on them as they made their way into the night, beyond the city’s walls.

“I don’t like that guy.”

One of the men stationed outside the wall spoke to his colleague once the two travellers were out of sight.

“Yeah I know. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way. Gives me the creeps, you know?”

“What? Oh yeah, I guess there’s that, too.”

“What were you talking about, then?”

“Ah well, I guess I’m just a bit jealous.”

“... Huh?”

“I mean he gets to keep a cute girl like that company for the entire night. You know - just the two of them… under a moonlit sky... away from prying eyes…”

The other guy raised his hand, gesturing for his colleague to shut the hell up.

“I am going to pretend I didn’t just hear you insinuate that sister Lyo was having an immoral tryst with her cousin.”

While not all religious orders made vows of chastity, it was a widely known fact that the Hammerites in service to the Goddess Teresa did indeed take such vows.

“Yeah right! How’d you know they haven’t done it?”

“Because, you idiot, that’s fucking wrong. On many levels. Besides, Teresa’s the goddess of truth!”

“So?”