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Chapter 23:

Arthur's Point of View

Reed Farmstead

Austin snorted and covered his mouth in amusement. "We know, Arthur. Clearly, the shock from the news surprised her to the point of fainting." Elincia observed.

"Your offer of Knighthood surprised her that much?" I asked back skeptically.

"Again, you must understand that our Nation has only ever had one Knight before." Gesturing to me, she continued. "You would only be the second Knight we've ever had. Not to mention since our founding two thousand years ago." Smirking, she then motioned to Rennal. "Many will have this manner of reaction."

Augustus snorted. "Ya mean the Nobles will." He added, which made Elincia giggle.

"Indeed. A bonus really." The Priestess replied to the elderly man before looking back to me. "So," Leaning forward, Elincia rested her chin on the back of her hand. "Are you interested in taking care of those other Slavers, or not? If you are, we'll make you our Knight. If not, then I must advise against you taking further action in our Nation."

"It's amusing that I either accept your title to help your people and deal with the Slavers in your city, or I don't, and I have to distance myself from helping your people." I replied as I leaned back in my chair again while Cassidy was taking care of Rennal. "Kind of funny, don'tcha think?"

"Having someone unaffiliated with our nation taking on the military role of the Town's Guard is an issue." The Priestess answered immediately. "From my understanding, you've already come across some vital information. It's because of this that I am asking you to keep your nose out of official business."

Cassidy gestured to me. "He could always just help as a hired hand or somethin." She suggested.

Turning to the farm girl, Elincia shook her head. "That won't work. Bringing in an outsider for official purposes isn't a thought-out plan."

Quirking a brow at that, I gestured to Cassidy. "Don't you and your sister ask for help from Cassidy, Ayda, and Floyd all the time?" Then I looked to Augustus. "At least, that's how I've come to understand things."

"They're students in training to both Arceana and myself." Elincia stated. "I will give you some time to consider our deal. Words said in the heat of the moment are ones we often regret. Whether or not your words meant something about the Slavers will be for you to decide." Standing, she gave a curt nod to Augustus. "Thank you for having me, Augustus. It's always great to see you."

Bowing himself, he replied. "Yer beauty always does wonders for ma heart, Priestess. Feel free ta drop by any time ya want to visit these old bones."

Smiling, Elincia turned to us. "When you have your answer, feel free to come see us. Our Town's Guard will be on the lookout for you. I hope to hear some good news from you within the coming days. Till next we meet, Arthur Pendragon." She gave a shallower nod to me.

"Elincia." Was my short reply.

When she left, Cassidy spoke up. "So, Ah know it's none of ma business, but-" She started, but I stood.

"Thank you for the meal, Grandpa Reed. It was delicious." He frowned at me for interrupting his granddaughter, but nodded.

"Of course. Ma thanks as well. Ah heard ya got into a scuffle with her an her friends. Coulda hurt em from my understandin and ya didn't. Feel free ta stay until ya got yer feet under ya." He then turned to Cassidy and then Austin. "We'll respect yer privacy, Ah just ask for the proper respect in return."

Nodding in agreement, I responded. "That is more than fair. If you don't need anything else, I do have some things to think about."

He chuckled at that. "Ya sure do." Then he gestured to Rennal. "Before ya go, would ya be willing ta help take her up ta Cassidy's room? Who knows when she'll wake up. Austin and Ah will work on the dishes."

Looking at Cassidy, she had a small frown but nodded. "Sure."

Without another word, I moved towards the Elf and picked her up effortlessly. Cassidy followed me up the stairs and opened the door to her room. Setting her on the bed carefully, I noticed that Rennal's torn dress was in here. Along with the tarp I gave her to cover herself. My redheaded companion noticed this and eyed me.

Giving a small shrug in return, I spoke. "I'm heading to my room. Let me know if you need anything else."

Not giving her the chance to say anything, I moved to my room, but more importantly, my bed. Taking off my armor, sword, and undershirt, I flopped onto the bed with a sigh. There was a lot to think about, but I didn't want to do any of that at the moment. My body still felt tired, and my mind hazy. Sleep was still needed, but in a more comfortable way.

Placing a pillow under my head and pulling the covers over my body, I felt myself slip into a deep slumber. However, my sleep wasn't as restful as I thought it would be. With so much on my mind, I appeared in a void of sorts. Not like with the Star Creature who sent me here, but as if I was conscious in my own dream, and I was able to control it to a certain degree.

"Well, this is certainly an experience." I said to myself as I just floated there.

Playing with the idea of total control over my dreams, I began to wonder how was I able to do this? Was it another gift from the creature who sent me here, or was it just more of a mastery over my mind in this body? Since arriving here, I had no longer been plagued with nightmares like I used to be. It not only prolonged space travel, but it made it unbearable.

Rubbing my dream face, I sighed as I spoke. "This is cool and all, but I'd rather just get some regular sleep or have a chance to go over Arceana's deal." The scene immediately changed, and I was once again in the Temple, sitting across from the mentioned Priestess. "Holy shit!"

Ayda, Typhon, Cassidy, and the exact same Town's Guard were all present. It was like watching something on rewind. Everything continued the same way down to the last detail. It was unnerving and I was afraid that if I could do this to such a degree, that other memories might be able to appear in this manner.

As if feeding my fears, an earlier memory of mine took over the scene of Arceana. It was from when I was alive back on Earth, and I quickly woke up with a start. Breathing heavily and in a cold sweat, I looked up to see Augustus looking down at me from the doorway. Closing my eyes and placing my hand on my forehead, I calmed myself down.

"Is something wrong?" I asked without looking at the man.

"Ah could ask ya the same question." Was his concerned response, and I removed my hand to look at him. "Looks like sleep hasn't been kind ta ya the last few nights." He seemed hesitant to talk for some reason, but I couldn't figure out why.

"It's been a long few nights. What do you need?"

The elderly man sighed. "Got some grub cooked up. Need ya ta fetch Cassidy and Austin. They're doin their morning chores." He explained. "If ya ever need ta talk ta someone-" Augustus began, but I stood and started to get dressed.

I interrupted him while doing so. "I'll go get them now. I shouldn't be here too much longer."

"Ya can stay as long as ya need." Grandpa Reed told me and left.

It wasn't until after he left that I realized my faux pas. My right eye was looking directly at him, which is likely the reason he was so unnerved. Gritting my teeth in aggravation, I took my wrapping and covered my right eye. Thankfully, Grandpa Reed didn't seem like the type of person to go around and tell everyone that there was something wrong with my eye. I need to be more careful.

Leaning against the wall, I sighed as I stopped getting dressed after he left. "You seem on edge." Another voice cut in.

Glancing to the doorway, I saw a familiar Elf. "And you're still here." I replied simply and started to put my armor on. "Thought you'd be escorted home by Cassidy by now, Rennal."

Giving me a curious stare, she replied. "Why would she do that?"

"Seemed like she was taking care of you yesterday, and I figured you'd need to get home soon." Then I turned to her. "Unless your family doesn't keep track of you, I figured you'd want to let them know that you're alright."

She waved my mild concern away. "Your concern is flattering, but I have already sent word that I would be returning in the coming days. These things happen, and they are aware of where I am along with who I am with."

"I see."

"While I do find it rude to pry, I am more interested in why you would not accept the Priestessess offer." Rennal told me. "Such a position is unheard of even for us Nobles. Even the highest-ranking Nobles have never been given such an offer."

"And you don't find that odd in the slightest?" I asked, and she gave me a confused look. "Talks of prophecies are a great way at controlling people, and let's be honest, not a single one of you knows the kind of man I am." Putting Defiance on my back, I sighed. "I'm not a good person Rennal. Your Priestesses are fools for thinking otherwise."

While she looked slightly insulted, Rennal put her hands on her hips and gestured to me. "Any man who says they are not a good person, is either trying to change or has had to face injustice so many times using barbaric methods himself. Thus, he lowers himself to his adversaries and becomes the monster they were." Quirking a brow, she asked, "Am I close to what you went through?"

Pausing for a moment and closing my eye, I heard the Elf shuffle. "Not even close." Opening my eye revealed Rennal with a surprised look. "Vague descriptions can often tie in with anyone. I'm not just anyone." I told her and walked past her. "I'll do as I please. Whether it be dealing with Slavers, which you got a behind the scenes glimpse at how I operate, or if it's confronting more Ghouls."

As I was about to head downstairs, Rennal spoke up. "So, you will continue to do all this work without any merits or recognition? What kind of man does that?" A little smirk came to her lips. "Only a hero would do something so selfless." The Elf stated with a approving tone.

"How do you know this isn't for my own selfish reasons?" She looked a little stumped at that. "The answer is you don't. For some reason, you people seem to think I'm meant to be here and that I am a hero. Trust me when I say, I am not."

"You should still accept the offer whether or not you believe yourself to be a good man." Gesturing to herself and then the mountain, she spoke. "Many people would do almost anything to be in your position right now."

"Well, they're not." Was my dull reply. "I may want one thing to actually accept this position, but I doubt your Priestesses would agree. We'll see though. Elincia was right to keep me out of official business, though. Shows that those two Priestesses aren't entirely incompetent."

Rennal looked offended for them in their stead. "Wha-"

Moving from the stairs and back to Rennal, the Elf seemed to retreat suddenly as I stood before her. "Many of you seem to think heroes are these great people who always know what to do and act selfless." Scoffing down at her, the Elf Noble glared at me slightly. "You want to know what heroes really are?" I asked her.

Giving me a very womanly look, she gestured to me. "Enlighten me."

"Heroes are the people you don't know because they are dead in the ground." I told her bluntly. "People with no names to hear and no one to know how they passed on. Whether it was to save a town or to save the world, do you really think that every hero you read about or heard about was actually portrayed how they truly were?" Patting her head in a condescending manner got the Elf to glare more openly. "No. Heroes are fairytales and nothing more." With that, I headed out to retrieve the two young farmers.

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The new goal for this week is to hit 700 Power Stones again for another extra chapter! If we hit 750, I will release an additional bonus chapter for hitting that goal as well! We know we can hit 700, but can we hit 750? Let's find out! Hope you guys are still looking forward to the coming chapters!