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Artemis had spent the evening finding other accommodations and studying the town a bit more so that he may make a hasty exit come morning. He had secured a room from an older woman who lived alone, having lost her husband and two sons to a fever that swept through several years ago. She was a normal woman but definitely attractive in her youth. By all rights, she could have secured herself a position in a noble's home, but this woman was with some sense of honor. She had married a merchant and when he had passed, she took his business upon herself and ran a respectable shop. He couldn't find most of what he was looking for from her, buying only travel rations and water, she did direct him to the nearest alchemist and arbelistmeister.

When morning did come, he awoke to a jarring knock on the door. His first thought was a customer had come to buy provisions, but the knocking wasn't that of a commoner. He wondered if it was the guard coming to arrest him for his assault in The Retired Sword. He overheard the man talking to the woman, who opened the door with much venom on her lips for such a disruption. He quickly explained his intrusion at such an early of a time and bid her apologies as he handed her a letter. He quickly departed, scurrying down the road. Artemis would later realize this guard was sent to fetch the group of men and women who came to the assistance of Galloway. The woman handed him the letter and in return, he gave her several gold coins to compensate for the inconvenience. His pack was already prepared and on his shoulders, his armor concealed under the poncho when he bid her a good day and set off to find the things he required.

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His business conducted in Galloway, he turned his attention to the letter. He glanced at it once before and gave the request some thought. All it said was to meet at the south gate but the insignia on the wax was that of the township of Galloway. This was no ordinary request, he soon realized, when the front gates came into view. There were more armed guards here, each with a slight nervousness to their stance. He wasn't surprised, of course. The guard must have been doubled, if not tripled, in light of what has happened. There were men and women toiling away at the stonework, using buckets of water to wash away the coagulated blood that began to crust under the morning sun. The smell, thankfully, was abated due to the hasty removal of the bodies but the lingering stench of iron in the blood remained. He could still see the remnants of shit and piss. Intestines and brain matter that sprayed across the courtyard not several hours before.

He saw the horror on the faces of many of the guards as they began their patrols, glances sideways as the gore that was being hurriedly cleared. Many of these men have never seen combat. They have never seen how fear can make a man vacate his bodily fluids or how much carnage forty-five inches of steel can cause. He has seen that look on many faces in the past. Young men told that they rode for glory and honor only to find the absolute worst of humanity. There was nothing honorable about drowning in your own blood, an arrow piercing a lung, or the gutteral screams of men dying as limbs were severed. It took a certain kind of mind to compartmentalise such things, and he has seen his fair share of men look to the bottle for some recompense from their nightmares.

Taking the view in one last time, he turned and headed toward the south gate where the letter instructed him. The people of Galloway seemed like decent folk. They were hard working and cared for each other, provided you weren't an elf. Of course, racism could not be cured with steel. It could only be cured with time. Hearts and minds, as he was taught years ago, was sometimes quicker than any bolt or poison. Perhaps one day they will see that the demon they fear so much isn't their Elven counterparts, but the neighbor they learned to trust. The demon hides in plain view.

[i]The demon hides in plain view.[/i]

An old saying seared into his mind ages past. Old memories clung to him like cobwebs, and he shook them off just as quickly as the southern gate came into view. Looking around, he seemed to be the first to arrive. The guards here were also on high alert, but the gate was open. A guard walked in front of him, placing his hand out, [color=green]"Halt. It is dangerous to leave the city walls."[/color] Artemis brandished the letter he was given and the guard examined it. [color=green]"I see. You're the first to arrive. Wait here."[/color] The watchman then hurried off to fetch someone or another.

Artemis didn't like this. He felt too exposed. He hoped this wasn't a waste of his time.