The Forsaken Army

"Kris, I didn't see you as the kind of person to make jokes," Tessa says and chuckles.

"Oooh," Connor lets out a long exclaim, "It was a joke."

"No, it was not a joke."

I reach into my pouch and take out that coin I have been hiding. I extend out my hand and give it to Connor.

His face freezes as he sees it.

"A platinum slab?" Tessa mumbles.

"That's right. It should be able to buy your entire stock, right?" I ask.

"How do you have so much money?" Tessa asks and turns toward me with wide eyes.

"I rose from D- to A in a week, and I am confident I can reach rank S within the next. Don't you think I have my ways of making money?"

"I… suppose," Connor returns from his shock.

"So, what do you say? Your entire stock," I ask.

He looks at his wife and then back at me.

"Well… the entire stock is worth a little bit more than a platinum slab, so you wouldn't be able to purchase everything, but I think we can come up with 90% of what we have available."

"Is that a deal?"

"I am not in charge of the Society of Ecclesiastic Smiths, so I will have to check with them first, but the people there have been pulling their hair out trying to find ways to attract more customers, so I would say the chances are in your favor."

"Great."

"What are you planning to do with these weapons?" Tessa asks. "Don't tell me… you are part of the Forsaken Army."

"No? What is the Forsaken Army?"

Tessa leans a little bit closer. "Have you heard of the rumor going around the country?"

"The one about the Goddess?"

"That's right. His Eminence suspects the cause to be elves, which is just absurd, but he has been sending troops to every corner of Terradivina to oppress the elven villages."

What?

"Since when?" I ask.

"I am not sure. Connor and I just came back from our trip. Mr. Pecunia told us about it just now."

"So what's this Forsaken Army?"

"The elves are not happy with His Eminence's military actions, so they formed a rebel body and call themselves the Forsaken Army. They have been going around the country defending elven villages," Tessa says.

"That's… how did it happen so quickly?"

"We have been wondering about the same thing," Connor says, "There is suspicion that His Eminence has been planning a crusade against elves a long time ago, since his hatred toward them is rather… well known in the upper circles. Now, with the disappearance of the Goddess, he has a pretty good excuse to execute his plan."

I can't believe this is happening. A civil war? How did I manage to cause that? Fuck. Things have just gotten so much more complicated. At least I have just received a solid goal in my hands, which is to stop this at all costs. There is no telling how big of a setback an all-out civil war would have during a period of colonization.

"So you are not providing arms for the elves, right? Because that would be high treason," Tessa says.

"No, no. I am not doing anything like that."

"Yeah, I figured, because if you were, making a name for yourself in the shrine would be among the dumbest things you could do," Connor says.

"Right."

I don't quite understand why, but if it clears me of any suspicion of something that I am not doing, then I won't question it.

"At what stage is the conflict at right now?" I ask.

"Again, we are not a hundred percent sure, as the information mostly comes from rumors right now, but what I've heard is that the elves are doing a pretty good job fending off the Theocracy's army," Connor says.

"Really? How?"

"I can't tell you how true this is," Connor says, "but I heard that the Theocracy's soldiers are constantly ambushed by wild dragons, making their journeys to the elven villages harder than the battle themselves."

"Wild dragons?"

Connor shrugs. "It's the strangest thing, I know. Again, take it with a grain of salt, because His Eminence has been keeping these actions very much under wrap."

"I see."

Just who the hell is this Kenneth guy? I hope the elves in Alventyr are fine. They probably are, since the Cimavetta Highlands is between them, so it would probably take them a while to get there, and the journey is less than comfortable.

The dragons though. I wonder what's up with that. Maybe I can ask Lohikaarmi a little about it when I get back.

"But I digress," Connor says, "Let's talk more about the Holy Weapons. When do you want them to be delivered?"

"How soon can you arrange a delivery?" I ask.

"Well, if everything goes well, tomorrow afternoon."

"That's fast."

"Yeah. The weapons have been dying to leave the store."

"Great. Make that happen if you can. Deliver them to St. Margaret's Convent."

"I understand."

"Kris," Tessa says, "I know that this might be a little rude of me to ask, but who really are you? You have extraordinary abilities and connections, and yet I have never heard of a Kaplan family anywhere in this country."

"I am sorry, I can't answer your question right now, but I assure you that I want the best for everybody. Things will change, and I am sure that in no time, you will learn everything about me."

Tessa nods.

"I see. That reminds me of the final message Her Holiness received from the Goddess before she disappeared," she says.

"What was it?" I ask.

"She said that a storm is coming. Now, it could mean a literal storm, in fact, most of the time, it does, but I get the sense that this time, it might not be so literal. We should all brace ourselves, Kris. Filth will be washed away, and the world will be renewed. I hope that you are the cloud that brings about this change, and not the dirt to be purged."

Me, too. Me, too.

I nod at Tessa's words.

Connor laughs. "Tess, you are scaring the kid. For all we know, he could be the Goddess's Apostle."

"I wish. We are in the great need of an apostle to show us our way right now," she says.

"What would happen, say, an apostle showed up?" I ask.

"Normally, I say that, but obviously it's not a normal occurrence," Tessa says, "An apostle would be taken into the church and asked to aid Her Holiness, but right now, things might be different. Her Holiness is no longer the controlling figure of the Holy Capital. His Eminence is. He forces Her Holiness to do his biddings, and since an apostle would get in his way, he will most likely get rid of them."

"But what would you guys do?"

"If an apostle came to us first, we would probably keep it a secret and help them achieve their goal without the Church knowing, because right now, they are not in it for the best interest of the people."

Hmm, it seems like I might gain some allies if I reveal a little something. Plus, I am pretty sure that Sebastian already figured it out.

"So, can you keep a secret for me?" I ask.