<~> Chapter 100The five of us stared at the closed gate. Somehow I hadn't thought it would be closed right now. I looked around, there weren't many people in this part of town. The houses in the area were a bit more run down, implying this may have been a poor district. It seemed a bit odd because it didn't really feel that te yet, only a few bells after su. Many people would still be at bars and taverns around this time, it shouldn't be such a ghost town like this.

  We got closer to the northern gate and found the portcullis pulley, the release was smashed. The guards who had been here earlier had closed it the quick way a. We weren't going to be able to get out this way now. It seems like there might be moing ohan our atta the tavern.

  Silva's long ears perked up and she turo look down one of the nearby streets. "I hear fighting."

  I looked dowreet she was fag. "More fighting? It's not just us then?"

  She shook her head. "It sounds like a full-on battle. I thought they were looking for us at first but this expins how we got away so easily."

  Bel looked worried. "Do you think they found Fae? Should we go see if we do something to help?"

  I paused. Ultimately they were looking for Fae, if there was a battle going on they could have found Tarklin after they went for us. I looked at eay friends. "We vote. Everyone who wants to get involved and see if we help Fae and Tarklin raise their hand."

  Bel and Man's ha up instantly, Torien's haantly followed. I felt Mimi pulse indifferend Silva didn't raise her hand.

  I raised my hand. "Let's go look. If we help we'll get involved, if there's too many or they seem to we'll stay out of it." Everyone nodded, even Silva.

  I looked at Torien. "You and Silva go first and help us avoid running into anyone before we get there."

  "Sure, let's go." She g Silva and started leading the way.

  We traveled back through the city, this time a bit more fident in our course of a. Whatever had happeook the focus away from the six of us. Whether or not that was a good thing remaio be seen. We mao avoid any more of the people in bck brigandine on the way there but the sight that greeted us was not one I expected.

  We had made it he ter of towhere was a full-scale battle going oween around sixty people. On one side of the flict were the people in bck brigandine, primarily a mix of demi-beastfolk afolk with only a few humans in their mix. Several of the people had the miasma of demons hanging on their bodies, clearly visible now that I had the [Demon Hunter] title. Oher side were members of the Tamin church, their distinctive blue and white robes and padin armor stood out in the open pza. Naturally, every one of them was human.

  The se was madness. All of the surrounding buildings were destroyed, rge holes were opened ione walls of the nearby shops. There were casualties on both sides at this point as well as the remains of civilians in the surrounding area. It felt weird being on the side of the Tamin chur this instance. We were watg them fight the people who attacked us not an hour before. But it was clear that they were not friends of the people here either, their magic tore just as many holes in the surrounding buildings as the people in bck did. I doubted they had been any more dising when using their magic based on where some of the civilians' remains lie.

  I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Man. "We need o get out of here. This is too much for us and we don't know anything about what's happening here. Now that the people in the bck armor are occupied we should look for Tarklin," she whispered to me.

  I nodded. "Let's go back to the stable and see if we find anyone."

  As we made our way through the town we could tell the buildings were mostly deserted as the battle in the ter pza roared on. We hadn't been able to hear it from the edge of town but now that we were closer to the fight, the magic explosions and cshes of swords echoed off the walls. The only people we saere civilians hurrying to the eastern aern gates, after crossing paths with a few of them Mimi went back to hiding as a necky neck. We passed the tavern we had been fighting in earlier, all of the bodies had been removed.

  By the time we had made it to the stables the animals were gohere was only a note nailed into one of the nearby beams.

  "Anyone in the Silvergrove pany that got left behind, head through the eastern gate.

  -Tarklin."

  "Looks like they evacuated this pce. We should go catch up with them." I adjusted my cloak. Now that there were obvious sides in this flict, I felt less fident wearing the enemy's armor around. The st thing I needed was to get into a fight with the Tamin church adherents too. At the same time I didn't want to get into anht without it, one look at my shredded clothes revealed how valuable a little bit of armor would have been. If it hadn't been for Bel, I'd have been dead a few times over. I decided to leave it on.

  We headed to the eastern gate, eventually catg up with a crowd of civilians. I hadn't noticed till now but I felt the differen level between my group and most of the people here. Just as Silva described earlier I could feel the differen our levels. The rger the gap, the more pronouhe feeling was. It wasn't until now, when I was more on guard thahat I noticed. Now that I had it was clear as day. I could tell not everyoive to the differehough, a few people noticed and steered clear of roup, others didn't notice at all and walked right o us.

  Eventually we made it to the eastern gate in a crowd of others. The guards here were s people into small groups outside the walls. A guard around half my level went to stop us but froze and ran off. I had a bad feeling about that. Rather than dwell on it I tried to lead my group away from the area only to be surrounded by four Tamin padins.

  "You, animal. Did you think you would be able to sneak out this way? I didn't think those cultists were the only ohat had to deal with deserters." The four of them drew their ons and my group followed suit. Their levels rivaled mine. Meaning the only one of us other than myself that could stand up to them on even footing would be Silva.

  I pulled off my cloak a drop to the ground. "I'm not one of those in the bck brigandine. I stole this from one of their corpses after they tried to kill us." Most of the people surrounding us realized something was happening now and ran from the area. We were at a standoff with the priests.

  The padin who had spoken to us befrit his teeth. "Liar! Did you think bullshit like that would work on us?" He took a step toward us.

  "Hold!" A feminine voice carried through the area causing the padins to pause.

  Only their leader, the one we had been talking to, took a moment to look towards the voice. I couldn't help but gn the dire of the voice as well. A female priestess came to the edge of the clearing that had opened around us. She pulled off her hood and scarf, revealing herself to be Bel's mother.

  "Corrine." I looked at the woman but held still, my sword was heavy in my hand.

  She nodded. "You remember my name."

  How could I fet.

  She looked at the padins. "Stand down. I reize these people, let me talk to them."

  The Tamin padins paused before sheathed their swords as they eyed us. They were cautious of us turning on them. We followed suit, sheathing our ons as well. The tension in the area rexed, if only a bit.

  Bel's mother sed over roup. "e with me for a moment. I want to discuss something with you lot. Afterward, I'll send you to the Elf you were with."

  "Tarklin?" I asked.

  She nodded. "He came through here a while ago."

  I looked at my friends, stopping at Bel. Her ears were down but she looked otherwise okay. I really didn't want to talk with the priestess right now but sidering the situation, it felt like the least we could do.

  "Very well but let's keep it short. I don't want roup to leave without us."

  "I wouldn't worry about that. The night is still young. e." Corrine led us away from the crowd.

  After I covered myself again with my cloak, we walked through the gate and into a tent that was set up out of the way of the crowd. Ihere wasn't much. Just a small table with stationary and a few chairs, there weren't enough of them to seat everyone here so we stood.

  She turned and looked over each member of my group one by oaking in each of our appearances before moving on to the . "What do you know of the cult fighting in the ter of the city," she finally asked.

  I shook my head. "Very little. They wear bck brigandine..." I shifted my weight. "And I heard they were involved with the murder of Baron Morrister."

  She studied me for a moment. "Yes. The Elf- Tarklin Silvergrove has custody of his daughter. Sera Faelyn Morrister."

  My breath caught. "Is she safe?"

  "...yes." Her eyes sed up and down Silva. "I had heard that the demi-rabbitkin here was her sve. Why is she with you?"

  I turo Silva who took that as an invitation to speak. "Lady Morrister couldn't handle being arouer what she had seen, so she sold me to Lilith."

  Her eyes returo me. "Lilith..." Suddenly I felt a rge spell being cast around us, the feeli familiar, this turned from a simple versation to an interrogation. "You are now in a [Zone of Truth]. No one will hear your answers except for the people here. I'm not going to hold you here but your answers will help me uaer which side you're on. If you would indulge me."

  My hand curled into a fist. I didn't like how this was going but I didn't think it was quite time to leave just yet. Right now it's probably in my best io see this through.

  "Lilith. I'll ask again, what do you know about this cult?"

  My face hardened. "Nothing more than what I've told you. I didn't even know they were a cult before I heard it at the gate. All I know about them is they wear bck brigandine and they attacked us tonight while looking for young-dy Morrister." I felt the [Zone of Truth] pulse, it agreed that I only spoke the truth.

  The woman cupped her . "Strahen I'll ask this . Have you ever heard of The Order of Lilith?"

  My mouth went dry and the hair on the bay neck stood up. What? "...No. I've never heard of The Order of Lilith ...though I think I might now uand why the church has been so ied iruth once again pulsed through the room. "Is this the name of the cult fighting in the middle of town?"

  She didn't answer immediately, she just studied my face, as if hoping to find some clue in my demeanor. Before my patience wore out she finally answered. "...No, this is an ued group at odds with the church." Corrine spoke the truth. "Curious, are you a demon?"

  "No." Truth pulsed through the room once again. "Are you saying the Tamin church is fighting multiple cults right now?"

  The priestess shifted in her seat, hesitating to answer. "Yes, there are multiple cults drawn to this area right now. We're unsure why. question. Have you ever summoned a demon?"

  "No." Again, the [Zone of Truth] spoke of my innoce.

  "A ce then? An odd beastkin, only barely resembling a male ram." Her eyes flicked to Bel for a quient before settling bae. "A woman who lies with other women. You have multiple sves but cim to abhor the practice. You have the miasma of demons hanging around you, yet you have sin enough of them to gain a title for it. tradis up and down."

  I gritted my teeth. "How much do you know about me?"

  "...Clearly not enough." The room pulsed with truth. "However, I don't think tonight is the night that I'll be able to find more answers, certainly not from you. I don't even have enough people here to hold you if I tried. You're free to go, the elf is about 300 paces east on the north side of the road. You won't miss it." The room pulsed with truth again, bag up her words and catg me off guard. I didn't expect this interrogation to suddenly end here but I wasn't going to pin.

  Corri down and immediately began drafting a letter, the dismissal evident. She didn't even bother dropping her spell yet as whatever missive she enning seemed to take priority. I looked at my party then I held the fp of the tent open for everyoo leave. Before Bel stepped out she iurned and looked at her mother. "Did you truly want to abandon your son? Did you hate him?"

  Corrine looked up from her letter furious. "Yes! Now leave!" For the first time, I felt the spell pulse of falsehood and tradict her words. She snarled and colpsed the spell. "Leave animal!"

  I took Bel's hand and pulled her through the fp of the tent. She had frozen in pce, unprepared for the truth of her mother's words.

  We walked in sile of the camp and towards the east. I held Bel's hand, no longer worried that someone may see. The Tamin church already khe people I loved, for better or worse. The six of us walked into the bight together.

  Saine

  Hello! 100 chapters! It's been a long road to get here so far but I hope you've e! We're already almost doh book 2 and then we'll be heading right into book 3! Poor Bel right? That mean priestess just keeps pying with her heart.

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