Chapter 81: Chapter 81: A Silent Night
Santa Roberto, the lonely monastery laid in a secluded corner of the Eldoria Kingdom. For many generations, people had come here to find their peace and purposes.
A purpose outside of the never-ending struggle of life. A place for people who denied the very faith of this world to survive.
Another path that they could take instead of enslaving themselves to the witches outside.
The monastery was a very small commune of around twenty people. It was a castle inside the vast field of Rottin Woods and near the busy town of Scalize.
Jonah, a courier in Scalize, who commonly took the courier job and delivered goods to the monastery.
The monastery was a self-sufficient convent. They had their own fields of crops. A well-maintained well for water. But they did need clothes, tools and necessities that they weren’t able to make themselves.
Jonah was there to fulfil those needs. He kept contacts with the Mother Reverend of the monastery and would buy the necessary items for them. Once he got them all, Jonah dragged a cart full of items toward the monastery.
He was too cheap to buy a horse and would never save enough money to buy one. And he’s young. So Jonah always pulled the cart himself.
But youth was a fickle thing and it would soon escape your hand without you knowing it.
It was the same day like every other Wednesday. The day that Jonah brought the items over to Santa Roberto. It was more difficult to do the job that day. The cart seemed heavier and the sunlight was cruel.
The youthful muscles that Jonah was so proud about lost their strength. For the first time ever, he felt the limits of mortals.
Jonah made it to the monastery by nightfall. Usually, he would drop it in the wood cabin outside the monastery. The cabin connected directly to the corridors of the monastery, allowing the people inside to come and collect the items without the need to meet Jonah directly.
The people inside the monastery were very wary of the outside people. Jonah earned their trust throughout the years and had received a set of keys that could open the wood cabin.
However, there was something odd that night. The door to the wood cabin was always locked tight. This time, it was open.
The wooden door moved back and forth because of the cold wind. Its rusty hinge creaked repeatedly.
Inside, the cabin was dark as a cave. Not even a tiny candle light was seen.
"That’s weird. They usually light the place up for me."
Jonah, without suspecting anything, left the item cart and went inside the cabin to investigate.
The cabin was freezing cold with big ice blocks filling up all the stone slabs. They had these ice boxes made to stop the foods from spoiling. That was why the cabin was also called the ice room.
A dense, thick musk of decomposition laid heavy in the air of the cabin. It smelled like something had died in there.
Jonah covered his mouth and looked around. But he couldn’t find anything.
Sometimes the priest in the monastery placed carcasses inside the cabin for Jonah to get rid off. That was probably why the place smelled that bad.
But Jonah couldn’t see any dying animals laying around.
The small door leading deeper in the monastery was opened that day. It had never been open before.
A small iron chandelier dangled inside the hallway, inviting Jonah inside the monastery.
"Oh, hell no." Jonah could feel it. Something was wrong.
And he had no intention of finding out why. He was simply there to earn some coins.
Jonah turned his back to leave, only to find the door leading to the outside world had disappeared completely.
"What in the devil?"
Jonah rushed to the stonewall where the door once was. He scraped his hand everywhere, hoping to find any hidden mechanism.
But there was nothing.
In a moment of panic, Jonah kicked the stonewall. His knee popped and a sharp pain sent through his joint.
Jonah dropped to the ground and groaned in pain.
Luckily, his leg was intact and the consequence of his stupidity was simply a disjointed knee.
There were no windows in the cabin but there was wind. A high-pitched growling wind that caused Jonah’s skin to crawl.
He had a feeling if he kept staying here, bad things would happen. So Jonah dragged his body up and entered the dimly lit hallway. He went inside the silent monastery.
Quinlan, a ’travelling merchant’ that had bandages covered his entire body tightly, only his eyes were exposed to the outside world. Alongside him was the trusted bodyguard and friend, Bas.
They needed to reach Scalize from the other side of the Kingdom. If everything went according to plan, they should arrive at the town in two days.
But Quinlan and Bas needed a place to rest. The nearest inn would require at least half a day’s journey. Traveling at night was not a good idea.
"It’s nightfall. Should we set up camp?" Bas said.
Bas was a very well equipped warrior. He wore no helmet but had a thin layer of black armor on his chest. His sword beside his waist seemed to be ancient. It had seen many battles and every time, Bas survived.
He was nothing more than a greedy sellsword that Quinlan had recruited to guard him.
Quinlan paid well and seemed more honest than the other arrogant nobles Bas had worked for.
As for Quinlan, he chose Bas as his bodyguard because he knew Bas’ true nature. A crude man that seemed greedy on the outside but he was a man of his word. Bas wouldn’t betray Quinlan once he had accepted the coins.
For that, Bas was trustworthy. A man with principles amongst the shameless other sellswords.
"These woods aren’t safe. I saw a monastery up ahead on the map. They should be more than happy to welcome us to their humble abode."
"Monastery, eh? I heard the nuns in Eldoria are all hot chicks with big pairs of tits." Bas didn’t hide his thoughts and laughed out loud to his own vulgarity.
That was Bas. An impolite and downright rude individual.
Quinlan sighed heavily.
"Keep your pants on once we are there, Bas. We need a place to rest. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble.
As for the nuns. I’m afraid you will be disappointed. The real nuns aren’t those beautiful ladies you heard in the stories.
You really think a beautiful woman is going to condemn herself in an eternal servitude, boring life of a monastery. Don’t tell me you are that naive."
Bas shrugged his shoulders. "Can’t blame me. They always say nuns are beautiful."
"How about a bet? If there is a beautiful nun inside, I give you five silver coins. If there isn’t, you give me five silver coins."
"Bet!" Bas laughed and reached his fist out to bump at Quinlan’s fist. It was a sign of agreement for their little game.
They arrived at the monastery. Bas jumped down from his horse and banged at the gate.
He crossed over to the invisible barrier of the monastery, condemning himself to whatever hidden dangers laid ahead.
"Open up! We are wary travelers looking for a place to sleep! We have coins to pay you!" Bas screamed, hoping his voice would pierce through the thick door.
Quinlan lifted his head to observe the castle. The place gave him chills for some reason. But he quickly shook that feeling off.
The wooden gate creaked open and inside walked out a nun in full formal clothing. She was so fine that Bas’s eyes widened like he saw a naked woman.
"You must be tired from the road." The woman smiled. "Please follow me inside."
Bas and Quinlan followed the woman inside.
Bas silently turned back to Quinlan and reached out his hand. "See that? I told you so."
"You win, this time." Quinlan dropped the coins in Bas’s hand.