Dustin followed Ken-Malé into a candlelit chamber deep inside the command center of the rebel stronghold. Despite the warm lighting throughout the oblong space, Dustin found himself pulling his outer garment tighter around himself, for a damp, chilly draft swept down from a black crack in the ceiling to chill all who entered. Most fascinating at all, however, were the two objects placed atop a plain wooden crate dead in the center of the room.

At Ken-Malé's urging, Dustin approached the crate and beheld the Alcontean relic which had been the source of so much conflict. At first glance, it appeared simply to be an ordinary olive branch with the fruit itself removed, but the leaves caught his attention. These were no ordinary leaves; they shimmered and glowed with green light like vegetative candles. Their glimmer was nothing short of enchanting, and Dustin felt a strong temptation to lay hands on the branch.

Nonetheless, he refrained and glanced at the object beside the relic, a thick open book in a fancified Alcontean script, aged parchment giving the pages a distinguished, ancient appearance. In the midst of the twin walls of text on either page had been etched a stylized illustration of the very olive branch Dustin had just been looking at, leading him to draw a connection between the two.

He turned to Ken-Malé. "What is this book?"

"The writings of Rikkard Paldez, Dove's foremost prophet."

"Dove?"

"The Alcontean god of peace." Ken-Malé answered simply, "He has manifested himself in times past as a dove bearing this branch in his bill."

"Jude mentioned earlier that this Dove is also the Alcontean god of war. How can that be?"

Ken-Malé immediately stepped over to the book and began thumbing backward through its pages. "I recently read a passage where Paldez explains that. Yes, here: 'It cannot be said in any true sense that one be peaceful, if they are merely unable to engage in conflict. Our god is a god of peace, not because he is harmless, but because he possesses the power to destroy, the potential to release all the horrors of war and violence, yet freely chooses benevolence and kindness'."

Dustin stood thoughtfully for a second before locking eyes with the rebel leader. "I suppose there is some truth to that. Doing no harm because one can't is worlds different from doing no harm because one won't."

"That's just it. I find the teachings of Paldez fascinating for that reason."

"Likewise. At any rate, I'm glad this artifact is in your hands rather than Innutuk's. How may I and my companions make ourselves useful around here?"

"Our scouts discovered an Innutukian camp in the wilderness not all too far from here, and as I mentioned earlier, food has been tough to come by as of late. We're sending out a party tonight to plunder their camp, if you'd like to accompany them."

Dustin smirked back at Michelle, who appeared enthusiastic with the idea. "We will most certainly lend our services."

****

Nathan's hurried trek across the wildlands turned out to be a simple affair of following the trail of prints left in the sand from Dustin's mixed entourage of camels and horses. His own camel deserved much commendation for maintaining an impressive speed throughout the whole ordeal with minimal complaint and few stops.

Even with the white cloth covering all but his eyes, Nathan keenly felt the sun's rays beat down on him as the day dragged on. On many occasions, he considered finding a spot to rest a while and cool down in the shade, but by that point, the tracks had started to become faint in the sand, and he feared any further erosion would lead to him losing them entirely. So he pressed on, even with his clothing becoming clammy from sweat and back radiating with heat.

Unfortunately, by midday, Nathan spotted a sandstorm brewing ahead, and so his hand had been forced. He found a fairly safe rocky enclave to shelter himself and his camel while they waited the storm out, and he also used that time to eat half of the food provisions Kelly had packed for him.

There was no telling how long the sandstorm lasted, but the sun had moved a good distance toward the western horizon by the time it dissipated, so likely at least two hours. Nathan immediately got moving when he noticed this, so packed up his supplies, mounted the camel, and set out again.

To his dismay, the storm had wiped out all the footprints, meaning he would have to find his own way to Forbache and hunt down the straying youths without any guides. A tall order for an aging ex-knight who had only learned the eastern paths in and out of the wildlands. Nonetheless, Nathan was anything but a quitter, so he continued on.

Hours and hours of wandering across the desert in a hopefully westward direction, and Nathan found himself resting in the shadow of a steep ravine, having just slain a couple dozen winged creatures he could only categorize as demonic. Viscous clear blood still dribbled down the face of his shield, a clear evidence that Monterayne's unconventional knight had won the fight.

He peeked out of the ravine toward the sun, which would shortly be setting over the jagged, rocky wall that made up the horizon. From the tales the gatherers told, that wall was a distinctive feature making up a large part of the border with Forbache, so his desert trek would soon be over. Good thing, because he had just gulped down the last of his water, having been thoroughly exhausted by his battle with the flying devils.

A few minutes' rest later, Nathan plucked up the strength to continue on, opting to limp alongside his camel for the final stretch of the journey. They crossed a large stretch of open desert before skirting along the wall for a while. Finally, they found an opening in the rock formation, squeezed through, and found themselves in the much more forested landscape of Forbache. Emerging from that stoney pass and beholding the lush treelike ahead was not unlike entering an a whole new world. Nathan offered a silent prayer of thanks to God for getting him there safely.

Nathan and his camel casually threaded through the darkening forest in search of the nearest town in which they could find lodging for the night. Urgently as he needed to find Dustin and his fellow wayward youths, Nathan had just undergone quite the ordeal and deserved a little rest and relaxation, at least until the sun rose again. Thankfully, it wasn't long before he spotted a sizable town at the bottom of a hill, so he carefully descended toward it.

He was immediately met by a pair of guards at the gates, clearly Innutukian in ancestry, based on their robust physiques, broad chins, and thick beards. The last time he'd laid eyes on an Innutukian soldier, however, their metalworking hadn't been quite so refined; they had always been decked out in thick chunks of armor that failed to cover much. Now, they didn't quite have sophisticated suits of armor like those made in Alconte, but the breastplates, faulds, and helmets these two men wore gave a balance of protection and mobility.

"Welcome to Henwar Tane." one of the Innutukians greeted in a gruff, guttural accent, "What is your purpose here?"

Nathan mustered one of his charming smiles. "I've come to visit a friend out here, but seem to have gotten lost along the way. I simply need lodging for the night."

"Where is this friend of yours?"

"He lives...I've forgotten the name of the place, but it isn't far from Chenten Yorr."

The other guard frowned at Nathan's camel. "What is that thing?"

"Strange horse you have there." the first guard chimed in with a chuckle.

Nathan shrugged. "Very strange, I agree. All I can say is the Kemarians have a way of breeding some very strange creatures."

"I see. Where could I go to get ahold of one of these...hairless horses?"

"Oh, it's rather exclusive; I only have one because I'm friends with one of the breeders."

"You seem to have a lot of friends." the guard clucked.

"I hear that a lot. After all, I travel often and keep a friendly face wherever I go, so...indeed."

"Very well, you seem harmless enough. I will need you to hand over your sword for the duration of your visit, however. We've had incidents lately."

Nathan inwardly protested, but kept that from manifesting in his face. "Of course, of course. An understandable precaution."

So he handed over his sword, the guards gave him final once-over, and then waved him on to enter the town. Glancing about in the fading light of evening, Nathan quickly came to the conclusion that the Forbacheans were ingenious architects, each stone building around striking him as a work of art and an expression of creativity. The dark-skinned natives around didn't truly possess the jovial spirit he'd always heard of from those who had visited, but then again, the Innutukian soldiers mingling among the population could very well have something to do with that.

Before long, he found the town's inn, so after arranging for his camel to be taken care of in the stables, he headed inside. Nathan found himself immediately greeted by a lanky young man with dark skin and a patchy mustache who asked whether he needed lodging, a bite to eat, or both. With a gracious dip of his head, Nathan acknowledged he was in need of both, so the youth led him up a flight of stairs and let him into a cozy bedroom lit by candles and invigorated by incense.

After stripping the sweaty outer layers of cloth off himself and setting his supply pouch down on the bed, Nathan headed back downstairs and entered the lively seating area designated for eating and entertainment. What immediately caught his eye was a fenced-off platform in the middle of the chamber where a bulky Innutukian man rained blows on a leaner Forbachean youth who only escaped being knocked out with his nimble maneuvering and distancing counterattacks.

Suddenly, the Forbachean man turned the tide of the fight with a high kick to the Innutukian's jaw. The bearded hulk tumbled into the rickety fence on the opposite side of the platform, ripping through it and landing on the floor below. At this, the onlookers all around erupted into cheering, and several of the victorious youth's countrymen raised glasses to toast his win. Even the Innutukians littered throughout cheered, all except for one soldier at the bar counter who glowered with crossed arms.

Nathan peeled his eyes from the spectacle just as a new opponent stepped onto the platform. He headed over to the bar counter, called for the bartender's attention, and asked about their food selection.

"I'm...afraid we're short on supplies, sir." the bartender stuttered in broken Alcontean, "I can toss together a bowl of vegetable soup, if you'd like."

Nathan nodded kindly and pointed back to the seating area. "That will do. I'll be sitting somewhere over there."

"As you wish. Anything to drink?"

"I hear Forbache makes the best rum anywhere; perhaps I can test that theory."

The man grinned. "You'll never wish to leave."

"We'll see about that." Nathan jested.

And with that, he headed to an empty table in clear view of the wrestling platform. The lean Forbachean youth had apparently been defeated while Nathan had been ordering food, and now two Innutukian men pommeled one another with blows. The crowd cheered loudly whenever one combatant knocked the other over, though the match apparently didn't end until one toppled over the edge of the platform.

Nathan's attention swept back to his own table when a striking Innutukian woman with raven black hair and emerald eyes slid into the seat across from him with a charming smirk. He quirked a brow and waited for her to speak, seeing as her pink lips were pregnant with some remark or another.

"Please don't think me...forward or impolite, but you caught my attention the moment you entered this room." she said, her words difficult to pick out due to the Innutukian accent.

Nathan clasped his hands together. "Why's that?"

"There's...something different about you. The other Forbachean men keep their heads down...don't like to be noticed. But you...you're not like them."

"I have nothing to be afraid of. If trouble comes my way, the troublemaker usually ends out regretting it."

The woman smiled at this, showing perfectly white teeth in the process. "You're a fighter then, aren't you? We Innutukians always like people like that."

"Of course, of course."

Her eyes flitted over to the platform, where one of the men finally kicked the other out of bounds. When the crowd's cheering died down, she glanced back at Nathan. "That victorious man you see up there? He's my brother. If you can beat him, I might make it worth your while."

Nathan momentarily frowned at the fact she'd followed that remark with a wink. But still, he put on a charismatic smile and leaned back in his chair. "I wouldn't want to humiliate him in front of so many people. I assure you, there was a time when I'd beat down dozens of Innutuk's finest in a day."

"That sounds...alluring."

By now, Nathan was sure the woman was drunk, crazy, or both. "Listen, I know what you're trying to do here. I'd like to make something clear."

"What's that?"

"I prefer married women. Particularly when they're married to me."

Nathan rose to his feet and found himself another table, rolling his eyes upon seeing the woman simply slink over to another table and begin entangling a bearded Forbachean man in her seductive web. He'd always heard that Innutuk's men were violent brutes and her women were promiscuous wenches, and the Innutukians present within the inn's walls hardly did anything to dispel such a notion.

****

A/N: And there you have it! A peek at the Alcontean olive branch, a little insight into the religion surrounding it, and then an update on Nathan's travels. A pretty eventful chapter if you ask me. 😂

(You know what else will be eventful? The dynamic between you and I if you don't vote and comment, you silly readers. 😝)

Nah, I'm only playing around, but I appreciate those both still. Anyways, I'm a busy dude, with work, music, and more writing fighting over my time, so I'd better go. God bless, and I'll see you in next week's update! ❤️