No! Next Stop: Knottori

The trip to Knottori went as quiet as the town itself. The caravan driver was also a huge source of information, giving Earnest the general run down of the place. As far as he knew, Knottori did not have a lot of imports or exports, sustaining itself through its humble farms, agriculture, and closeness to the sea. As such, traveling merchants only saw the town as little more than a pit stop between other major settlements like Bereth, Seleina, and Tull. Aside from the necessities to live, more advanced medications and the occasional artisans were the only luxuries lacking.

Before Earnest's benefactor left, he suggested for the wounded knight stop by the local priestess. Locating Rosalind may prove to be daunting and with his mangled arm, he could never properly defend himself in case of another monster attack. Truthfully, though, he worried more about incurring the scorn of his commander, Roland, if his arm was not usable in time. A promise was a promise and one arm was not enough to perform in the knight's exhibition. The last thing he wanted than certain **** was a lifetime as a latrine scrubber. The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.

Shaking his head, Earnest unloaded from the caravan but not before saying his thanks. "I'm sure to buy your ring when I have Rosalind with me," he added, cheerfully waving.

"You better, son! But don't expect a discount just because you bring your lovebird along!" the man exclaimed happily while walking away. He even gave a thumbs up as the horse-drawn made its way out of sight.

Back on his own, albeit with reddened cheeks, the weight of his worries began to mount on his shoulders. What had happened to Rosalind? Was she okay? If so, why wasn't there any contact with her squad or him? Additionally, there was also that unknown beast a few camps away. There were too many things piling up that did not match Knottori's tranquil image. Wasting no more of the sun's light, the knight deep in thought stepped to his first lead: the local holy site.

Traversing the surprisingly busy streets of Knottori proved a challenge in itself. Earnest's armor weighted heavy and its metallic clang drew in wandering eyes. Too much attention was on him with the shaped plate in contrast to the natives' simpler cloth; some people even avoided him. All he could do was swallow his embarrassment and move on steadily.

The road to the temple narrowed and quietened. That caught Earnest by surprise as per the caravan driver's description, Knottori was patron to Illara, goddess of love and fertility. The way it looked, however, was godforsaken. All around the cracked rock pillars was little to no life. The grass was yellow, growing sporadically through dried soil. The tress withered into mere stumps where leaves used to grow. It seemed like the everything holy had left a long time ago, leaving only a husk, a mere semblance of the place of worship in its stead. That did not forebode well.

With a heavy heart, Earnest continued up the steps of the shrine. The wooden door creaked at his push and nearly fell off its hinges. Inside, though, made him question his eyes once more. The intricate tiles showed no visible damage, looking clean and pristine. Through the dark interior pierced beams of natural light from the dozen of windows. Aside from the sun's illumination, only candles lit the single hall, leading to the altar where someone clad in delicate white kneeled.

Earnest approached carefully but even his heavy set steps did nothing to stir the priest. It wasn't until his hand landed on the person's shoulders that the prayers stopped, replaced by a loud shriek.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" A young woman who was about his age jumped into the air with her blonde hair flying wildly around. She had bright green eyes which immediately locked onto Earnest's armored figure. "WHOA!?" she screamed again before landing flat on her butt.

"P-Priestess," Earnest began nervously, holding up his arm, "I was hoping I could get some healing here. Did I, uh, did I come at a bad time?"

The priestess frowned. She looked Earnest up and down before pouting and crossing her arms. "You are not an envoy of Illara, are you?"

"Uh...no, not really...My name is Earnest and—"

"Then what is this filthy armor doing on my holy ground?!" the girl screeched, jumping back to her feet and stomping towards him. Her finger repeatedly pressed against his chest plate, causing dust to stir. "This is what I mean! Exactly this! Do you have any idea how tedious it is to keep this temple clean?! Do you, you clod?!"

Earnest raised his hand in a defensive pose, though he never meant to offend the deity's follower. He then replied, "I'm sorry, but I am simply passing through here. But, as you can see, my hand got mangled pretty badly from an unholy beast's attack."

The young woman huffed in exasperation before turning around and returning to kneel before the altar. His concern was not hers. Instead, she simply said, "You are not a follower of Illara. As such, I cannot heal your arm nor allow you to stay at this shrine for that matter. However," her tone grows more impish, "For a little donation, you can show your appreciation to the goddess and receive her blessings."

Earnest tilts his head. "D-Donation? Wait a second. Isn't this a temple dedicated to Illara, goddess of love and such? Why would Illara—Who are you anyway?"

"I am but a humble servant of her will. My name is Anise Peals, and that is the only thing I'll allow you to take without coins. Now, please leave."

For one reason or another, Anise's tone ground on Earnest's gears. If that was how all of Illara's followers acted, then the goddess desperately needed to look for better worshippers.

Blowing air out of his nose, Earnest asked as calmly as possible, "Is there another priest around here? Surely, there has to be more than you, considering this town's connection to the goddess."

Anise stiffened. For a moment, she remained silent before breaking into sorrow, "No...My brothers and sisters of Illara have long since turned their backs on our ways. We used to serve with great pride, receiving the boons of our goddess. Now, though it is only me, left to rot in this forgotten place where no one cares one bit!"

"Oh...I'm, uh, sorry. I didn't know about any of that."

The young woman let out a heavy sigh before standing up and walking over to Earnest. Her eyes were soft and gentle; they almost looked like a doe caught by hunters. In a unique way, through the innocent green burned a fierce flame full of single-minded determination. In a way, her look made her appear gigantic despite her overall shorter stature.

"You can save your pity. I have chosen this path and on this path, I shall stay. That is my duty. That is my burden. However, that does not change anything about my proposition. A coin is all I ask," she said while extending an open palm towards him.

"What are you going to do with it?" Regardless of her answer, Earnest reached inside his bag for his little bag of riches.

She scoffs. "Have you seen the state of this holy place? Every donation received will be spent to rebuild it from top to bottom! Then Illara's faithful will once again kneel in worship!" Anise declared with fire burning behind her words.

Earnest stares at the girl in awe, unable to form a proper response. The girl was either crazy or...well, he couldn't quite tell if she truly believed what she said. At least, she was passionate about the cause and if his coin helped the restoration of this run-down temple, then it was well spent.

"Thank you," she said with a gentler smile. "Now, please, show me your arm that needs healing."

Holding out his wounded arm, the young priestess undid the bandages and narrowed her eyes. To Earnest, the gashing hurt was like any other; Anise's opinion, however, was different.

"How did this happen?" she asked, pulling Earnest's mesh up to confirm her suspicions.

Without the knight even noticing, from the bite marks of that three-headed beast spread a venom most sinister. Only by a glance up his exposed arm did he realize the severity of the situation; the once blue veins illuminated in a deeply concerning purple. It didn't matter how much he rested or how he treated his wound—the poison would continue to grow. It was a silent killer.

The girl stared at him with unwavering determination, never breaking eye contact with him until she spoke again. "I have no way of knowing whether Illara will bless you or not but I can help ease the pain with magic! I do have to say, though," she smiles, "You are in luck to be treated by the most competent priestess in the entire world."

There she went again, running her big mouth. Although, perhaps her bravado was warranted the moment she closed her eyes and chanted in a melodic tune. The candles flickered and Earnest swore their heat transferred over to him. Then, Anise glowed brilliantly. Opening her eyes again, the emerald color only shone brighter. In an instant, the deep gash on Earnest's arm was gone as if it were never there. His skin became smooth once more without any trace of scarring whatsoever. As for the poison, like an invader it was dealt with, quickly retracting from his veins until disappearance.

Earnest could not believe it. The priestess' spell had not only healed him but he felt as light as a feather. His invigoration came just in time as his sharpened reflexes managed to catch Anise before her fall. She was **** but still breathing. It would seem that her magic drained every bit of her energy.

"You...you really are the greatest priestess," Earnest whispered, not able to say anything else after being healed so easily. He stared down at Anise in awe, who let out a soft moan, but otherwise remained silent.

Carrying her over to the bench and sitting next to her, Earnest pondered about several actions to take. After witnessing Anise's abilities, there was no doubt in his mind that she was blessed with incredible talents. If only he could convince her to tag along then the search for Rosalind would not only be easier but also safer just in case of any severe injuries. However, to the same degree her spell was miraculous, looking at her knocked-out state now showed a huge liability. He could hardly defend himself from monsters so looking over someone else might as well be a catastrophe waiting to happen.