Snippet #2413493

A young man was having a drink in a roadside inn, resting and listening to rumors. The town he stopped at was close to the borders of the Triumvirate, to the place where he was heading before. He didn't know the names of the local settlements, but he wasn't following maps or road signs to his destination, but a certain feeling. He was in a rush before, but now he spent his time leisurely: he was already too late.

Rumors of the attack had long ago reached this place, as well as rumors of the sole survivor being burned at the stake for heresy. Kain could do nothing but laugh silently at such actions; the people in charge destroyed their only lead for fear of losing their authority. Ignorance and fear were pretty typical for humans, but none surpassed the citizens and leaders of the Triumvirate in that respect.

Remaining this close to the "holy nation" was not the most prudent course of action. Kain had once been the enemy of all elvenkind, hunted wherever they could reach him. It took him years and a lot of effort to enthrall all the people who knew what really happened on that night decades ago, making them forget he was anything more than a psychotic murderer. He was still a wanted criminal back home, but the elves no longer bothered him outside of their lands.

He didn't want a repeat of that, especially since the Triumvirate was in possession of much greater resources than his former kin. That and being an elf alone was almost enough to be hunted in this land of extensive brainwashing. In a way, it was commendable that the leaders of the religion managed to bend so many to their will without even using any form of magic. They managed to turn unquestioning obedience into one of the greatest virtues for these people.

Of course, as an intelligent and educated individual, Kain knew that their faith was a big hoax, that no "divine trio" actually existed. Using "divine magic" and "holy relics" as a counter-argument was just silly in the eyes of one steeped in magic. What one really needed to use magic, apart from practice, education, intelligence and talent, was confidence. Belief in some deity was merely a suitable substitute, and evidently more easily achieved in the naturally inferior humans than belief in oneself.

But those were empty musings, irrelevant to the present situation. What was relevant was the new "god", the one responsible for the destruction of a whole town. No one knew anything about him, only that he was exceptionally powerful. Unfortunately, Kain already knew that from when he felt his life force. Even more worrying was the fact that Kain sensed several similar creatures, but the Triumvirate was only aware of the existence of one. That was easily explained: there were no witnesses of the second town's destruction.

The "man of crimson" appeared out of nowhere and with no warning, and so did the others. Ignoring such a powerful being would be the epitome of foolishness even had his appearance been predicted and his motives clear. Unfortunately, it appeared there was nothing he could learn while maintaining a safe distance from the Triumvirate's forces, and the "god" himself should he prove hostile. This was not a matter he could ignore, so there was only one course of action left for Kain: to investigate the ruins himself in hopes of finding some clue.

He set out without a clear destination in mind. There were two towns, although only one survivor was left. Kain had no doubts that one person was left alive intentionally. The question was, would he be able to learn more from visiting the survivor's town, or the one where none were left? He couldn't decide one way or the other. In the end, he picked his destination at a road sign: the town of Kartolheim was closer. He walked briskly, eager to discover any secrets he could. Learning anything at all about these powerful beings would be worthwhile.