After getting the cold shoulder from the healer, general Volk grabbed his cuirass and awkwardly put it on again. He was relieved that no one saw him fiddling with the straps and reminded himself to forgo his armour the next time. Then he went back to the main hall to ask the high priest or whomever he had assigned the task of showing him to his quarters. As he entered he saw two of his trunks waiting by the entrance. They were wet from the rain and no one had bothered to lift them out of the puddle that was slowly gathering below them. Fortunately they were designed for travel through all weather conditions the realm had to offer. Beside his trunks stood a nervous acolyte and the general recognized her as Erin. He smiled and went towards her, glad that he did not have to search for her or ask around. He did not like summoning people to his side or worse, having them summoned for him.

As Erin recognized the general she bowed deeply. The general was afraid she might topple over and quickly motioned her to stand up. "There is no need for formalities like this acolyte. Am I right to assume you are here to show me to my quarters?" Erin started to stutter "I know where your quarters are, but in fact one of the priests …" the general interrupted her with a slight wave of his hand. "You will do just fine, I merely need to know the way." he smiled and looked Erin into the eyes, as far as this was possible with those masks. "But a man of your standing shouldn't have to carry all this luggage by himself. As a guest of this house the high priest insisted that we help you." The general laughed. He knew the high priest wanted to keep an eye on him and it would be rude to decline this offer outright.

"Well, since his highness insisted I needed help, how about I let your priests carry everything I cannot carry myself?" Erin looked around searching for anyone to help her and it was quite amusing. With a chuckle the general stepped towards the trunks. He was glad he brought these two specifically for their special properties. Looking for the subtle runes on the handles he muttered a quick word of activation and the runes began to light up. Before Erin noticed the glow he grabbed the handles and hauled both trunks on his back, one with each hand. Erin gasped and watched in awe as the general stood before her, smiling with apparent ease and waiting. He needed her to be a little under his spell after all and keeping up this little show could achieve just that.

Although the spell significantly lightened the load, they were still heavy, and the general hoped that Erin wouldn’t be awestruck for long. Fortunately she seemed to find her composure and started to bow again. “Follow me then” she said before shuffling off in the direction of a torchlit corridor. Straightening his back the general followed. With every step the trunks knocked into his back and he revised his statement about not bothering with the armour in the future. Erin took him past a few crossings and through a number of archways and he did his best to remember the way back to the main hall. Finally she stopped at an ornate door with a lock, the first one he saw in the monastery. There was no key in sight and Erin didn’t seem to have one on her either. The general cursed to himself, still having to go to the high priest or wait for one of his subordinates.

Erin opened the door for him and bowed yet again. “We didn’t know if some of your men intended to stay behind, so we prepared another room adjacent for you” She pointed to the slightly smaller door to the right of his. “Thank you, but I will stay here alone” he replied as he entered. In truth, there was one person of his guard that had stayed as well, but his task would be to scout the monastery and the surrounding area. He would also have secures the quarters ahead of time, so the general didn’t bother to check for anything out of the ordinary. He put down the trunks, subtly dispelling the magicks on the handles with another mumbled word. He let them crash down onto the floor with a satisfying thump. As Erin jumped up he knew that it had the desired effect. “Please procure the key, as I would like to rest in privacy.” he gestured at the door and Erin quickly left, forgetting to shut the door. Maybe he wouldn't have to deal with the high priest after all.

The general laughed and closed the door behind her. He was starting to like her. When he was sure she was out of earshot he winced, his shoulder hurting more than it should have after carrying those trunks. He began undoing his cuirass again and glanced around the room. It might have been a scribe's chamber once with a well used writing desk with a high-backed chair, windows allowing for sufficient daylight and an ample supply of candles. There was also a sturdy bed with a thick straw mattress, a layer of soft blankets and a cushion, a washing basin with a pitcher of fresh cold water and a small mirror in a wooden frame. The adjacent room was a lot closer to what the general expected from a monastery. A simple bed, a mattress that barely softened the wood beneath and a stool. But there were also shelves full of ink, quills and parchment. A storage room he suggested, conveniently connected to the scribe’s room. All things considered he was pleased with his quarters, as he hadn’t planned on staying, but this might actually work in his favour. He had a promise to keep and a duty to fulfil. Unfortunately those two were mutually exclusive