When Magnus Kraej finally called me, all he said was that he had men checking the information I’d given him. They’d received reports yesterday about unusual monster activities. He reiterated the need for me to not talk to anyone about it in case it caused a panic.

“I’m surprised you thought about that. Most people think monster waves are a mythical event,” said Magnus.

“Not in Lieceni. The people there still remember the cave our ancestors used to escape.”

“I see. It’s probably nothing. My staff tells me that glowing green eyes could be caused by anima disturbances in the environment. It could just be the aftereffect of a minor earthquake,” said Magnus.

“But you’ll have it checked out, right?” I asked.

“If it’s a monster wave, monsters everywhere should be affected,” said Magnus. “We’ll know soon.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“I’ll probably be too busy to talk to you again, but you can call the same number if you need anything.”

“Thank you. Bye,” I said.

“Later.”

Seraph and the others will undoubtedly be among the first to know, so I wasn’t worried about telling them.

I went to the grocery store and bought all the items I needed first. Fortunately, they had a delivery service. I paid for my items and asked them to send them to my address. I probably wouldn’t need any of that, but it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.

Then I went to see Katja. I arrived just in the nick of time. She and Oren were already in the hallway, ready to leave the city for good.

“Oren, Katja, wait up,” I said.

“Aw, I said you shouldn’t see us off. I’m gonna cry again,” said Katja.

“No time to cry. I have something important to tell you. Let’s go back to your apartment.”

“What is it?” asked Oren.

Inside Katja’s tiny but neat apartment, I told them about the monster wave.

“I’ve never even heard of that,” said Oren.

“Don’t listen to him. He never paid attention in class,” said Katja. “Do you really think that’s happening?”

“Have you watched the news today? Monsters on the western coast have been acting weird since yesterday.”

Katja had already told her landlord that she was leaving, so another renter was arriving later today.

“Come stay with me for now. If it’s nothing then all you’ve lost is one day.”

Oren and Katja mulled it over for a few minutes before agreeing.

“And you know, I have an idea that might help. I’ll probably need you two,” I said.

“What could help with a monster wave? And you wouldn’t need us since you’d have Seraph,” said Katja.

“No, if there’s really a monster wave then Seraph will be in the frontlines. We’d better stay with Asteria. The goddess knows there’ll be massive looting and rioting if monsters really do come,” said Oren.

“Damn, I hadn’t thought about that. People will panic when the news spreads,” I said. “We should keep this a secret.”

“The people in Kraej City will be in for a lot of trouble, but my family back home should be okay. Esbjerg is in the outermost edge where there’s not much danger,” said Katja.

Our mood was subdued during the bus ride to my apartment, but they perked up when I told them about my plan.

“I feel like that’s a bit of a longshot. Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work,” said Oren. We’d put away their saddlebags and the grocery items that had been delivered. He was seated on my couch. sharpening the sword that he’d gotten from his father.

“You think? Looking for the descendants of the priests who saved Kraej City a thousand years ago isn’t a long shot, it’s a pipedream,” said Katja. She and I were eating some of the snacks I’d bought while she helped me pack an emergency bag for myself.

“Look!” I waved an old newspaper at her and pointed at a headline that said, “Priestess Protests Planned Demolition of Thousand-Year-Temple.”

Sofia, the priestess in the news article, was an important character in “Tales of Vesterland.” She was a talented healer from an ancient line of clerics. I hadn’t gotten in touch with her because she was the suspicious type who hated the Kraej. The other hero’s companions had quickly warmed up to Oren, but not her. If someone as charming as Oren had a hard time with her then she’d probably slam the temple doors in my face once she learned of my connection with Seraphiel and the others.

“Yes, but just because the temple exists doesn’t mean the priests there can do anything,” said Katja.

“We can try. I’ll feel better if we do something, even if it doesn’t help,” I said.

“True. I would hate to sit around in your apartment doing nothing,” said Katja.

“Okay, then I’ll call ahead and ask for a special blessing.” I looked to Oren for confirmation. When he nodded his head, I picked up the phone and called the temple. My coming-of-age was recent enough that it wouldn’t be strange if I asked for a blessing ceremony. A young person’s voice answered the phone and I was able to schedule it for later in the day.

“I’ll cook something for lunch,” I said. “Oren, can you help me?”

“I can help, too,” said Katja.

“No thanks, we shouldn’t waste food,” said Oren. He went over to the kitchen counter to help me with the vegetables. “Although, maybe we should let you cook. If the monsters come we could use the food you cooked to scare them away.”

“Shut up. My cooking isn’t that bad!” Katja playfully punched Oren on the shoulder.

He fended her off when she tried to mess up his hair, saying, “Not the hair.”

“Stop it, Katja. You know it takes him two hours each day to make his hair all spikey like that,” I said. “We need him to look good when we go to the temple.”

“Oh, yeah. We’ll get Mr. Charming Dimples here to persuade her to help us,” said Katja.

Yes, Oren was sure to be of great help when it came to the priestess.

LinMeili

• Remember the previous poll about the hero's quest? Did you get it right?
• The correct answer is: "The hero must go on a classic quest for revenge for a friend/family member who was murdered."
• But he might also do the other things mentioned in the poll. Or will he? My lips are sealed!
• Oren is working on the assumption that his father was right, but he'll investigate himself to find out what really happened. I think that sums up the hero's quest.
• Please let me know if there are any errors.
• Thanks for reading!

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