Augustus found himself staring at the view of the cart he had chartered for this specific task of his. It was not as luxurious as the one he would have normally taken. The Ravencrest family, after all, had their own line of carriages that they could take anywhere as long as they were available. Being a part of the main family, and one of the two heirs to the Ravencrest name, Augustus usually had first rights and priority to all the carriages as long as he needed them. However, in recent years after the first few years within the Royal Court, Augustus found himself walking more and more each day. It started with strolls in the morning, which gradually became a normal thing for him to do when he needed time to think. By the end of the year a few years ago, he had started to warm up to the idea of talking long walks around the Royal Capital. His guards had been furious at first, keeping his safety in mind and all of that. However, he was able to convince them of allowing him to walk around, as long as one of them was in his company. Augustus did not mind the extra person. After all, every single staff member within the Ravencrest household was dear to him in one way or another. The guards, his personal one, were tough and serious about their task. He trusted them enough, and knew that any single thing they deem a threat was most likely just that, a threat. [break][break]

That was the start of his legendary walks around the Royal Capital. Every afternoon, when the sun was setting, Augustus would find himself wanting to just walk around the Royal Capital to cleanse his thoughts of any ill will against those he had sparred words with during the day. It was a normal occurrence, after all, since his main duty was to be the voice of the Ravencrest family within the Royal Capital, and the Royal Court where matters were discussed and debated frequently. And within those halls, sometimes words were exchanged heatedly, and Augustus always found himself seething from the inside. The Silva family, of course, was always the main antagonist to any of his suggestions or projects. They have an innate hate of him and his family, to which Augustus could only shake his head. Their petty squabbling had sometimes blocked his attempts to make the lives of the Clover citizens much better, give them more quality. But no, the Silva were a bunch of petty individuals in his eyes, though he assumes that they view himself as such as well. The divide within the Royal Court was always so definite, and it truly did not help the Clover Kingdom as a whole. Unity is what makes a Kingdom strong, and it is only through unity that any meaningful change can happen. The problem was, anytime he tried to make something happen, it was blocked. Augustus could only take politics so far, and he was slowly deteriorating from the inside. At least, that was until he finally found his faith.[break][break]

“You are deep in though, Deacon Augustus. Care to tell me what you have been mulling over this past few hours since we left the Royal Capital?”[break][break]

Augustus turned towards the Priestess Sierra. She had assigned him on this task, though it would seem that she herself was coming with. It had been an interesting day so far, where he started the morning with a light exercise, before coming down for breakfast and receiving the Priestess’ letter, telling him to meet her at the front gates. He thought that he might be sent on another mission, something along the lines of being a courier. At this point, Augustus had gotten used to the missions. He had been all around the Clover Kingdom at this point, though surprisingly had not been sent to the Forsaken Region as much. Only once has he been tasked to go to that specific area, and even then, it was a simple drop and go. It seems that the Priestess Sierra did not have many contacts in that region, or more like, her diocese did not have towns located within that specific area. Truth be told, Augustus himself was still learning about the true organization behind the Church of Clover, and how some of the churches seem to be linked, and other were not. It was a complex web that Augustus was finding himself starting to understand, though he was sure that once he started to gain more access to the knowledge base, there would be more that might just throw him for a loop. It was always like that, after all. When you finally understand something, another thing pops up that just makes you throw away everything you know and restart once more. [break][break]

“Well, it is this mission, Priestess Sierra.” Augustus would start, though slowly as he started forming his thoughts, solidifying them into proper sentences. “I have always been your courier, the person who handles the messages in between you and the other priests and priestesses that you have ties to. I think I have travelled more in the past few weeks than I have in my lifetime, and truly, that is an achievement warranting a mention since my parents forced me on tours of the Noble Region since I could start reading a book, to get to know every single thing about what makes the Royal Capital tick and tock.” He would shake his head, a hand brushed on his unruly hair as he continued, “So, you coming here with me today seems just slightly odd. Of course, I do not mean offense or anything, I welcome your presence.” He would back track just a little, holding his hands in a sorry gesture, “But, I suppose, I am just curious as to why we are both going?” [break][break]

It was a legitimate question, at least, Augustus thought it was. Whenever the Priestess Sierra had accompanied him to do things, it had always turned out to be a learning lesson for him. The first time had been when he was fairly young, and the Priestess Sierra had asked for his help when he was at the church for a mass. She had chosen him to help hand out the donation baskets during the Offertory of the mass. He had learned then that the people of the Royal Capital were not all very rich. Most of the people who were present within the church mass had been the working class. While Augustus’ family, the Ravencrests, had given more than a fair share of their yul every single week during mass, the common people could only give a fraction, if not less. Augustus had stared wide eyed as some of the families had a hard time trying to come up with the yul, scraps of them, as they placed in the donation box. He had been moved then, the faith of the people within the church had given him a valuable lesson. To a young Augustus, it seemed as though that apart from their livelihood, the common people had immense faith in the Church of Clover. The amount they donate each mass was a symbol of their devotion, and Augustus knew that it also showed just how much the Church of Clover had in terms of influence over the common people. It had frightened the young man when he learned that fact, and had immediately vowed to always be on the good side of the church.[break][break]

The second time had been less when he was a young man, and had happened just recently. The orphanage that the Priestess Sierra had been in charge of was something Augustus never truly had seen. He knew it existed of course, as with any church, there usually was an attached orphanage. However, he had never seen its full extent until the day he was brought to the orphanage during that early morning. He had met the Priestess Sierra by chance inside a bakery, where had had planned on buying a treat for the children. Fate seemed to have intervened then for the two of them, and from there, they set off together towards the orphanage. It had been an interesting topic of conversation that they had, though he somehow forgot it all in favour of remembering the children that he met that very same day. They were all very lovely, and seemed to be just children who wanted to have their own families to call their own. But, as fate would have it, they were orphaned. Augustus had wanted to spoil them, and he had done so at first by sending food. Their thanks had been welcomed, and had warmed Augustus’ heart. After that incident, after that day, Augustus always made sure to try his best and visit the orphanage. He felt as though that the place had opened his heart more than it was already. It had affected him in more ways than one, especially when Momo had decided to call him her brother. In a sense, everyone within the orphanage was a family. A strange, very large, and very odd family, but a family none the less.[break][break]

And now he was here with her once more. [break][break]

Augustus was expecting another learning experience with the Priestess Sierra. He was hoping he would be learning something or another today, something that might help him when he finally passed on and become a Priest in his own right. Of course, that was how it went, after all. All Deacons would one day becomes Priests or Priestesses, it just depended on whether he was going to be promoted sooner or rather very much later. It always depended on if a church at a specific city or town needed a new priest or priestess. Though he was sure that there were some cases where priests and priestesses were not assigned to a church, but were taken into the service at one of the larger cathedrals, most likely under the wing of a bishop or another. But that was just conjecture at this point. All Augustus knew was that he cannot remain a Deacon forever, especially since he had quite the aspirations within the Church of Clover, to rise up the ranks and actually be able to instigate some form of change, or reform, to the already existing programs that the Church of Clover offers. He hoped to actually make a difference in the lives of the orphans, as well as the lives of the common people, most especially those who are the most needy of the population. They should never be seen as the problem, and it should be the Church of Clover’s prerogative to keep their members from any ill will or otherwise. [break][break]

But he was getting ahead of himself now. [break][break]

Augustus would turn towards the Priestess Sierra, who seemed to be lost in thought herself. The woman was dazzling to behold, though she definitely seemed to be aging, though at a slower pace. A woman that was both very independent, and very shrewd, was not uncommon within the Royal Capital, but it was very uncommon to find them within the Church of Clover. Piety, and humbleness, were the prime traits that were looked for when one joined the Church of Clover. Augustus himself had the piety, but he certainly did not have the humbleness part. He was not within the radar of the Church of Clover as a possible recruit, yet here he was. Augustus thought that the Priestess Sierra might have some personal reasons as to why she had taken in Augustus as her Deacon. There was no doubt that Augustus would not have been able to become a Deacon with another priest or priestess. Truly, all he had going for him was his piety, and how much he had dedicated to making sure he attended every single mass every week, as well as donating and joining in any events that the Church of Clover held. Truly, the Priestess Sierra must have something up her sleeve, something that made her decide to agree to his plea.[break][break]

“Deacon Augustus. I understand your concern. Well, it is less of a concern really and more of a thought. I have, indeed, sent you on personal courier type missions of sorts for the past couple of weeks. It has been an enlightening experience, as you seem to have taken to it very well. I know all about your interactions with the other Priests and Priestesses. They of course, send me their regards in their letters back. But, there is always more to what I do, and you should know it by now, Augustus.”
[break][break]
Augustus, for his part, only chuckled at the woman’s comment. He was, of course, unsurprised that the Priestess Sierra had more than what she had shown on her hand. The mere fact that he was sent on those missions meant something more, and he had been very sure of it. Though, if it was to expand his world view, then the courier missions were definitely something he had needed. It had done its job, and he now knew more about the Clover Kingdom outside of the Noble Region. While the Common Region was still quite normal, and reflected the lives of the common people living within the Noble Region, it was the Forsaken Region that had the worst of it. He had seen it himself. The poverty was rampant, and the need was dire in some cases. It was as if the Noble Region and the inhabitants within it had forgotten that the Forsaken Region existed. [break][break]

“Well, yes.” He would finally respond. “Truthfully, it had crossed my mind that you had something else planned, or maybe even had an underlying agenda. Which, in this case, I was right.” Augustus smiled, and the clip clop of their carriage started to slow down. He would look around and finally see the town of Raque just a few more meters away. “So, would you care to tell me as to why you sent me around all of those times? I would certainly like to know the reason, and no funny games from you either.” He grinned, hoping that the Priestess Sierra would finally unmask the reason why he had been her errand boy for the past few weeks.[break][break]

The Priestess, for her part, smiled in turn. She knew why the young man was a bit crazed. She was, after all, known to be a crafty Priestess, someone who usually got her way for her church when she needed it the most. It was the reason why she was placed within the Royal Capital after all. Everything she did, she did because it was necessary. For Augustus, she knew that he had been astray before he even knew himself. Augustus was a young man who needed a new path, something that appeases both his family’s wishes, as well as his own calling. Faith, she determined, was his calling. To defend the weak, and give hope to the hopeless, he was less of a military man like the Magic Knights, and more like a crusader, a holy warrior that only lifted his sword when necessary, and not as the first course of action. She admired that about the man.[break][break]

“Deacon Augustus. I know you want to know what know. Truly, you are curious. Even more now than you were before. But, be patient. What will come to pass, shall come to pass. Patience, after all, is a virtue, and any member of the Church of Clover must learn that patience can be a powerful tool in the most adverse of times.”[break][break]

Augustus shook his head. He knew he was not going to be a straight answer from the woman. Why did he ever think that he would, truly. The woman was an enigma in and of itself, and she never did anything without reason. All he needed to do now was trust that the Priestess Sierra was not leading him astray. She would never do such a thing, at least, that was what Augustus thought. As they finally got closer to Raque, he found himself wondering just what it is that awaited him in this town. He had not been given a reason as to why they were here, but was all but shoved into the cart they were now being hauled in. The man driving the cart with his one horse had not said a word, and it unnerved Augustus. With a sigh, Augustus could only watch as they entered the port town of Raque.

[break][break]

COMBAT SUMMARY

TL;DR



-

---

[break]

SPELLS USED







[break]

ITEMS







[break]

ACTIVE BUFFS/DEBUFFS

SPOILER: Click to show

• +2 Durability
• Them
• Here