Road to Vishgrad will take days, but depending on the situation, the time at which we arrive will vary widely. Our first stop hopefully will be in a village called 'Rusty Rock' - a place with a very peculiar name. The map that Abi have bought only listed the name in a vague area, with no officially drawn path or road leading towards it. We even asked few other travelers we met on the road if they knew where it would be, but to no avail.

  Finally, after half a day of walking and asking travelers, the next pair seemed to be exactly what we wanted. It were two men, from what it looked - a son and a father. They had dirty and plain clothes and chatted about something, with all four of their hands steadily gripping onto a wagon's handle. A small, two wheeled form of transportation, specifically for people to push it, as no ox or horse would fit in the space they occupied.

  When we approached, I rested my hands comfortably on my belt, away from my sword as to show I meant no harm. Abigail on the other hand happily waved to them, taking the lead in the conversation.

  "Good evening gentlemen!" I've noticed she took a cheerful, friendly tone of voice that she didn't yet used with me. "Do any of you know where a village called 'Rusty Rock' is?"

  The older man raised his hand, first in greeting, then to take the lead in responding. His son opened his mouth, but stopped when seeing the old man take the attention for himself. "Yes, we just came from it. Moving goods for sale. And you two? What's your business with our humble little settlement?"

  "We're walking to Vishgrad and your village is our first stop for rest."

  The two looked at each other, then back at us and looking both of us over, judging. This time the younger man spoke, addressing me this time. "You Miss, know how to wield that sword of yours? Two women on a track alone is a situation waiting for disaster."

  I've noticed Abigail's eyes land on me. It wasn't a strange thing to hear, especially from village boy who probably heard or witnessed a girl getting attacked. And while I did want to tease him a bit, flaunting my ability and achievements a bit, instead I've decided on a more appropriate response.

  "No need to worry, I'm an experienced mercenary. I've hunted enough bandits to recognize an ambush spot and defend myself, in case I fail to spot one. And my friend here is a magician."

  When I've said that, I could see the youngster's body deflating in relief, while the older man gave me a smile, barely visible under his beard. But as we stopped to chat more, and more importantly, ask for specific direction how to get to their village, I couldn't keep my eyes away from their cargo. They were moving a large selection of tableware made of copper, from the humble plates and platters, to cups big and small. Just by what they were moving, I already had an idea why exactly their home was called 'rusty'.

  When we arrived in the village, it was already early evening, giving us last of the day's light to work with. But what we gazed upon, was actually quite the sight.

  The forest opened up, making space for the village which filled all nooks and crannies, with the many tree stumps informing that it's a man made field. To the west side of the clearing was a massive rock, so out of place it seemed as if a giant left it here. No other rocks in the surrounding forest, yet this massive stone in shape of a club just stood there. It was 40 feet tall, if not more, dwarfing every building in the village, but equal in height to the trees.

  Only after a moment did I realize I've stared at it in silence for a bit too long, as Abi was staring at me, with a cheeky grin on her face. "Do you like it?"

  "Yeah, I do. But it's so out of place, that I had to figure out if I was sleep walking or not." I've replied, finally looking around the rest of the surroundings. "The copperware explains the 'Rusty', so this must be the 'Rock'. You think we might get some work in here?"

  "But Mistress Karya, we should rest for the night."

  At her words, I very slowly looked over to her, keeping uncomfortable eye contact for longer than it was needed. "Do not call me that you weirdo. You might be my apprentice in trade, but in status we're equal to each other, so keep it like that."

  In response she only chuckled, patted me on the shoulder and walked towards the village. I could have sworn that she already planned to call me obnoxious names in the future, but nonetheless I've followed after her, quickly looking over the homes.

  The village had about a dozen different buildings hugging the main road, all build of thick wooden logs, very neatly cut to fit in with each other. Each of them had a straw roof, cut into segments that overlapped each other, and each home had differently sized or shaped segments, giving each building their own unique look. At the end of the central path was the only stone building, a small church with a symbol that I did not recognize. Above it's doors was a wooden wheel, where an iron 'X' was attached to it. Never seen it before, but I doubted there was a different faith in Amandor's surrounding villages, so I assumed it was a specific symbol to this region.

  "Alright Abi, go approach few villagers and ask around for a space to sleep in. I don't see an inn or a tavern, so we might be forced to rent someone's attic or a room."

  Stolen story; please report.

  "And what about you?"

  "I will go to the church and ask the preacher if there's any work or danger around."

  That information seemed to be enough for Abi, and without anymore questions she walked off, approaching a pair of older women who were chatting on a bench. I myself walked towards the church, noticing few people surprised at the sight of newcomers. Compared to Abi thought, their eyes lingered on me for a long time, as I was the armed and armored one, striding straight to church as if looking for trouble.

  As a believer in the divine I was well aware of the manners when entering a sanctified ground, so before opening the door, I've bowed my head. Only then did I enter the building, where the smell of incense assaulted my nose, irritating it. The inside was lined on both sides with benches and the altar was carved out of wood, with some sort of design on it's face that I couldn't see from afar. The preacher was right behind the altar, with a piece of cloth and a bucket, cleaning the surface of it carefully. He slowly lifted his gaze, looking at me and freezing in place, as he noticed my distinguishable features.

  As not to stress the poor man too much, I approached the alter casually, with hand's to my sides, but when in front of the altar itself, I've knelt and lifted my hands up to my mouth. Fingers interlocked, I touched my forehead to my hands, before standing up. That seemed to calm the priest down, as I did not turn into a pillar of flames.

  "Blessed be the Divine."

  "And so do You. What brings you to this remote church, miss?" The priest took the initiative, feeling safe when in presence of a fellow believer.

  "Me and my apprentice and companion came to this village for rest. We're going to Vishgrad, so we need a rest on the road."

  His eyes drilled into me, scanning my white hair, longer ears and crimson eyes as I spoke. The altar was on a small platform, so he looked at me from a good feet in height difference, but even with that I could see he wasn't the tallest man. Either average of below average height, with his black, neat robes covering his build.

  "And you've come for a refuge for the night in church?"

  "Nay, for work. I'm a mercenary, came to actually ask if you knew of any danger in the surrounding areas. Beasts, bandits or criminals that endanger your flock, that would need a punishment." When mentioning danger, his expression turned into that of suspicion.

  "There's always danger, but I'll have to ask around and confirm. Heard some rumors about something's scary in the forest. If you're staying for the night, you could come to me after morning prayers, then I'd be able to tell you more, or at least point you in a direction."

  "Aye, that sounds like a good plan." I've looked back for a moment, remembering the weird symbol above the door, so I've decided to ask about it. "But if you don't mind me asking. What is that thing above the entrance?"

  The priest looked at the entrance confused, trying to figure out what I was talking about, before realizing what was I talking about. "Oh that. That's the insignia of Amandor branch of the church. Would you like to hear it's history?"

  "If it's a short story."

  "When first missionaries came to the north, the settlement that we now know as the town of Amandor, had a large population of pagans. The 'X' symbolizes a pagan shaman that converted to the True Faith, and the circle, represents a wheel used in his punishment. His tribe sentenced him for defying the 'old gods' as they call them, nailed him to a large wheel and rolled him down a hill into a marsh, as a sacrifice. The story says he was praying to the Divine while being nailed, not breaking in his devotion when in the prospect of death."

  I listened carefully, surprised at the local religions brutality, nodding along to inform him that I've understood.

  "The church martyred him as a patron saint of newcomers to the faith, who face hate from their brethren. But when his death happened, almost all of the tribesmen accepted baptism, in defiance to the old gods, for their brutal rituals."

  "No surprise. If I seen someone strafe from a path, I wouldn't nail him to a wheel. I'd try to navigate him back to the path instead. Thank you for the explanation, but I'll go now, reconnect with my companion now. We'll see each other tomorrow, after the sermons." I've bowed towards the altar and the priest, before turning around and going to the exit.

  "Let the Divine show you the path." I heard behind me.

  When I reconnected with Abi, she was chatting with one of the older ladies that she approached before, now by a completely different home. When she noticed me, she waved me over, so I approached both of them, passing few other buildings.

  "Good evening." I've said to the older lady, who smiled towards me.

  "Good evening to you as well, dearie. Your friend told me you two need a place to rest for the night, right?" When I nodded, she continued. "I have free room that I can offer to you both for few coppers. If you want I can even make some soup for you two."

  I've raised a brow at her, surprised by the hospitality, but Abi quickly interjected to explain. "Miss Mariel is the mother of the man we passed on the road. She made dinner, not knowing they're going to Amandor for the night."

  "Oh! Well, I don't mind paying for a good soup as well." My words were met with a smile from the lady, as she led us into her home.

  It was a sizable hut for a family, with the living room at the center, and two rooms to each side, separated by doors. She pointed towards the left door. "That's where you'll be sleeping, so you can go and unpack. I'll in the meantime set the fires."

  Me and Abi immediately went to the room, peeking inside. There was a box with blankets in the corner, with a single large bed on the opposite end of the room. In between them a table and a chair. Herbs were being dried on racks above the table, giving the room a strong herbal scent.

  "Seem like we need to share a bed." Abi noticed, as she quickly went to claim the bed for herself in case we'd sleep separately.

  "Depends, do you move a lot in sleep?"

  "Nope, and you?"

  "Neither. We can share the bed then. But if you hug me, I'll kick you." I've pointed at her, threateningly. She quickly raised her arms in surrender.

  "I wouldn't dare. You're cold like a block of ice. That why I'll use my own blanket."

  We exchanged few suspicious looks, before we both chuckled at the exchange. Dropping off our things into the corner, where they wouldn't occupy too much space, and especially putting away the weapons, we returned to the central room, where we chatted with Miss Mariel for the rest of the evening, ate the soup and paid her 10 copper coins total. By the time we finished and filled our bellies with good chicken broth with veggies, it was already night so we settled for the night. Abi took the spot by the wall, facing it. And then I discovered the true horror. The lady of the house snored loudly, but Abi in her sleep tried to out snore her. For the rest of the night, I've tried to fall asleep, with the water mage next to me, and Miss Miriel two rooms over were fighting who makes a louder noise, driving me insane.