[[Day 3 in Palaugrim (continued) ]]<br/><br/>Three hours later, her exhausted team sat by the remnants of a once prosperous village.  Someone had lit fires on the perimeter of the village, creating a ring of fire to trap the villagers inside.  Thankfully, the village was located by a lake.  Through luck and perseverance, her squad and the villagers were been able to break the ring enough for most of the villagers to escape.<br/><br/>Red rimmed eyes looked at the still gorgeous sky ahead, trying to ignore the acrid smell of smoke that drifted in the air.<span style="color: silver">“How is everyone?”</span>Lethe forced herself to ask, trying to get the words out from around an incoming cough.  A groan was her only response; it appeared her squad was too weary for words.  She ran a hand through her now gray hair in contemplation, trying to comb out any knots.  Really, she was just trying to distract herself.  She had wanted to reach Fleur Terres by tomorrow but with this detour… She didn’t regret it at all (for how could she regret helping innocents in need?) but now they were behind her mental schedule.   A snort of amusement found its way out of her mouth, only to be succeeded by a coughing fit as her lungs informed her they were<span style="font-style: italic">not</span>happy with all the smoke she’d forced upon them.  A gentle hand patted her back and when her fit subsided, she turned a teary smile to Adair in thanks.  He looked as weary as she did, but his eyes were also glancing towards the horizon contemplatively.  They’d been together long enough that he knew that she wanted to keep moving.<br/><br/>There was another loud groan from behind them and Lethe gingerly scooted around to face her squad.  They were all sprawled on the ground, except for YunQiao.  It appeared that sheer force of will was keeping his upper body from hitting the ground in such an undignified display.  Oh, YunQiao…  His stubbornness prompted a smile from her.<br/><br/>It appeared that the sound had drawn the villagers’ attention as well and a young woman was now approaching them.  Despite the fatigue that lined her body, she held herself erect as she approached them with a decidedly neutral expression.  Lethe hoisted herself to her feet as well, drawing her shoulders back and lifting her chin.  Whatever the villager wanted to say, it was clearly important.  The villager’s hazel eyes darted to the bodies on the ground and she swallowed apprehensively.  With forced nonchalance, she walked through the resting Knight Squad, refusing to skirt around them.<br/><br/>“Knights.”  It wasn’t a particularly warm welcome for eight strangers who had just spent three hours trying to save their home.  “We thank you for your assistance” Why was the villager cringing at those words? “However, as we didn’t ask for it, we consider it a gift and not a display requiring tribute.”  The woman immediately stilled after she finished speaking as if in fear someone would strike out at her.  What was going on?<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Ma’am…”</span>Lethe began slowly, still trying to interpret the other woman’s message.  It had seemed overly formal and very specifically crafted.<span style="color: Silver"> “We thank you for your gratitude, but it’s not necessary.  We are Pristine Knights; it’s our duty to help those in need.”</span>Wariness flashed in her counterpart’s eyes at her words and the other woman couldn’t stop her flinch.  What had she said to elicit such a reaction?<br/><br/>“As I’ve already said, we do not consider this a display requiring tribute.”  The woman repeated firmly in spite of the waver of fear.<br/><br/><span style="color: Silver"> “Ma’am, we did not help you for sake of reward..”</span>The woman relaxed a fraction at her words, seemingly surprised.<span style="color: Silver">“I’m afraid I’m new to these parts of Palaugrim.  What is this about tribute?”</span>The confusion in her speech and face appeared to relax the villager further.  Everyone was now looking at the two of them, the villagers in weariness and her squad in interest.  Now, conflict was evident in the spokeswoman’s posture.<br/><br/>“We don’t want any trouble.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“We’re not looking to cause trouble.”</span>Stifling a sigh, Lethe took one step forward and placed her hand out, palm up.<span style="color: Silver">“I swear under the Divine Light and under my name as Lethe Urilla, my squad and I mean you and your village no harm.  We ask for no compensation for our aid.”</span><br/><br/>The villager looked at the hand and then her face as if in search for something.  She seemed to find whatever she was looking for and she too stepped forward, placing her hand palm down on Lethe’s offered one.  “My name is Sierra Gram, acting head of Gramhold.”<br/><br/><span style="color: Silver">“It is a pleasure to meet you, Sierra.  May I heal your wounds?”</span>At the woman’s surprised nod, Lethe released Healing magic into Sierra through their clasped hands.  “Oh. Oh!”  Sierra exclaimed in surprise as her aches vanished.  A tear rolled down her face.  By the time the glow died out from around her, she was weeping softly.  “Thank you.. thank you.  So this is what it means to be in the Divine Light’s embrace.”  Sierra hiccupped but smiled through her teary eyes.  “Thank you.”<br/><br/>Lethe’s concern at the woman’s reaction subsided and she just smiled in response,<span style="color: Silver">“The Divine Light is always with us.  Thank <span style="font-style: italic">you</span> for letting me show you it.”</span>The tears slowly stopped and Sierra recollected herself with a small smile.  “Gramhold is..” She looked at the burned village beside them sadly but continued, “not at its best right now, but I invite you to find respite here for the night.”<br/><br/>There was only one appropriate response:<span style="color: Silver">“Thank you for your hospitality.”</span><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~</div><br/>Team Lethe spent the rest of the afternoon helping the village recover after a short respite.  The villagers seemed to open up to them as they toiled side by side and by nightfall, the wary distance had vanished.  After dinner finished, Sierra gathered the visitors and led them to their lodgings.<br/><br/>“I apologize, for all your help, we can’t offer much more than walls and a roof over your head.”  She unlocked the town hall and pushed it open, revealing an empty room with chairs lining the walls.  A stack of blankets sat on one of the chairs and Sierra gestured at them apologetically.  “We so rarely get visitors, especially so many at once, that no one’s seen the need to run an Inn.  I’m afraid this is the best we have.”<br/><br/><span style="color: Silver">“It’s perfect, thank you.”</span>Lethe assured as her team filed past her.<span style="color: Silver">“If you don’t mind my asking though… I noticed there is no Church here?”</span><br/><br/>Sierra’s face immediately clouded and she shook her head.  “I guess I should finally answer your question from earlier.”  She gestured for the two to take a seat.  “There is no Church here, for who is there to worship?  Sin and the Divine Light… Sinners and Knights.  There is no difference between them.”  She spat out before her eyes flickered up in worry, “That is not to say you guys are--!”<br/><br/>Lethe just shook her head sadly, taking the other’s hand in her own reassuringly.<span style="color: Silver"> “Please, don’t worry about my team and me.  I want to know your opinion, free from any gratitude you may feel towards us.”</span><br/><br/>“Before you came, we had never seen a kind Knight.  My father, and some of the older folks, say the Knights used to be paragons of good, but the most recent ones certainly have not been.  About… two years ago? A group of Knights came into town and demanded that we pay tribute if we wanted their protection from Sinners.  They said it was our duty for they were risking their lives for us.  We couldn’t disagree with their reasoning.  After all, even Knights need to eat or have a safe space to sleep.  So we paid the tribute.  But every few months, when they came back for tribute, the price had increased.  Soon, it was becoming too much for us to afford, but they were cleansing us from Sin...  How could we decide between dying from evil and dying from starvation?  At the same time, one of the villagers fell into Sin.  Despite the Knights’ cleansings, he—“  Sierra broke off her words, trying to muffle her sob with a hand.  After a few moments, she seemed to recollect herself.  “We kept him contained in here, since the walls are strongest.  By the time we’d begged a Knight to come help us, it had been about three days.  Another villager had fallen into Sin as well and we had to force him in here as well.  Everyone was angry but, well, they were one of us, you know?  Even having fallen into Sin, we’re such a small village…”  She shrugged helplessly.  In small villages like these, everyone knew each other, everyone was closely or distantly related.  “When the Knight came, instead of cleansing the taint from them, he claimed that they were too far gone and he… he killed them.”  No one said anything, waiting for Sierra to continue her tale.  “He didn’t even try.  After that, we refused to pay tribute anymore.  Not only were these Knights not preventing Sin from reaching us, they were unable to redeem the few of us that fell into Sin.  This used to be our Church, though we had no Priest to lead services.  After the Sinners though, we converted this into our Town Hall.  Why keep a building devoted to a religion that had forsaken us?"<br/><br/>Contemplative silence fell over the group.  What could Lethe say?  She hadn’t been here to absolve the Sinners or keep this town from turning away from the Light.  Whoever the two Sinners had been, they had clearly been important to Sierra.  She opened her mouth to speak, though she wasn’t sure what, but Sierra shook her head.<br/><br/>“It’s not your fault.  You and your squad, you’ve already helped us so much.  Unfortunately, after we stopped paying tribute, ‘accidents’ like these would occur.”  As if a ring of fire around the village’s premise could be considered an accident.  “Thank you so very much, Lethe.  After all that your squad has done for us, I think… I think I might actually believe in the Light again.  Maybe.”  Sierra seemed to gather herself and she stood up.  “Again, I’m sorry that this is the best that we can offer.  If you need anything from us, please tell me.  I already pointed out the house I’ll be in.  Thank you so much for your help, everyone.  Good night.”  She slipped out of the room before anyone could say anything.<br/><br/>Lethe sighed heavily, wondering when things had become this… dire.  A group of Knights demanding<span style="font-style: italic">payment</span>for their services?  Killing a Sinner rather than trying to absolve it?  There were times when there was no other option, especially during battle, but to refuse to absolve two already contained Sinners?  What was going on?<br/><br/>A very solemn Knight squad prepared for bed.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~</div><br/>They woke to the sound of the door banging open.  Deimos and Cricket were immediately on their feet, weapons drawn, but stopped at the sight of Sierra.  She rushed towards them, worry evident in her face.  “You must hide! Hurry!”  The visitors simply stared back in incomprehension.  “Hurry!  The Knights are here and causing a ruckus.  They’ve come to demand tribute again.  Somehow they’ve gotten hold of our night guard and are threatening them.  They’re claiming that carrying weapons is an indication of falling into Sin and are threatening to kill them!  Oh lord!  Hurry! Hide!  If they see you too!”<br/><br/>Adair gently took the frantic woman’s hands, forcing her to halt.  Lethe appeared beside him, looking as collected as ever despite her disheveled clothes.<span style="color: Silver"> “Sierra, calm down.  It’s okay.”</span>She took the other woman’s face in her hands and held it still so the other woman was forced to focus on her face.<span style="color: Silver">“It’s okay, Sierra.  We’re here, and we’ll resolve this.”</span>Slowly, the panic in the other woman drained out of her, leaving her a sagging frame of relief.  “Oh god, thank you, thank you.”<br/><br/>Lethe turned to her team to find they had all strapped on their armor already.  All were clearly displeased in their own way.  That was fine.  She wasn’t particularly happy either.  Adair had passed Sierra off to Seraphim and was strapping on his own armor, face determinedly set into neutrality.<br/><br/><span style="color: Silver">“Cricket, Deimos.”</span>The two nodded and vanished.  She straightened her clothes out, tossed her hair behind her, and donned her professional mask.  These Knights who perverted the teachings of the Light: she would teach them the error in their ways.<br/><br/>The first indication that something was amiss was the flicker of Sin she could feel.  When her squad had been healing the injured villagers, they had also been casting<span style="font-style: italic">Absolve</span>.  While not every villager had been healed, none in her Squad had expressed sensing any untreated taint.  She strode up to the commotion, her team fanning out behind her when she stopped.  A group of Knights, seven in total, were in front of them.  Four men were being forced to kneel on the ground, naked steel resting by the villagers’ throats.  An ornately dressed Knight stood in the front, sneering at all the villagers.  He had been demanding tribute but paused at her approach.<br/><br/><span style="color: Silver"> “Pristine Knights.  What is going on?”</span>Lethe demanded, anger lending her voice frigidity.<br/><br/>The leader turned his sneer to her.  “Who are you to demand anything, little girl?  I’m the commander of the local Knight force.  You should be answering me.”<br/><br/><span style="color: Silver"> “Your name, Knight?”</span>Somehow her voice had turned even colder.<br/><br/>The man frowned and took a step forward threateningly, leaning forward to make himself appear larger.  “None of your business, little girl.  I’ve already told you, I’m the commander of the Pristine Knights.”  He flicked at the Faith hanging over his chest.  His gaze traveled down her form and he smiled lasciviously, easing up from his hostile stance.  “You know, it’s a sign of Sin to carry weapons.  It shows you’re giving into wrath.  But I can help absolve you of that Sin.”<br/><br/>She said nothing, bringing her right hand to her chest and then lashing it out.  Two of the armored men dropped to the ground, their swords falling harmlessly to the ground.  The chains of<span style="font-style: italic">Penance</span>wrapped around one of the assailants and keyblades flashed into existence, knocking the last sword away from the villager.  Seraphim and Adair had both already dashed forward.  The fight, if it could be called that, ended quickly.  Lethe examined the cross necklace the leader had been wearing.  It looked like a Faith, but how could someone wearing a Faith be so—wrong?  Taking the necklace in hand, she felt a ping near her waist.<span style="color: Silver">“Leon”</span>She undid the necklace and tossed it to her Knight.<span style="color: Silver">“Does that seem off to you?”</span>He frowned and held it in his hand.<br/><br/>“Yes.  It doesn’t feel like it has holy magic in it.  In fact…” His eyes snapped open, “This feels like—” His head jerked to the pouch by her hip.  Her eyes narrowed.  That wasn’t good.<span style="color: silver"> “Strip them all and <span style="font-style: italic">absolve</span> them.   I’ll speak with Sierra and then we’re headed out.”</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~</div><br/><span style="color: Silver">“Sierra.”</span>The woman turned away from her conversation with the other villagers at the sound of her name.  One of the villagers suddenly gasped.<span style="color: Silver">“I’m afraid my squad needs to move out.  Those men”</span>A nod at the invaders her squad was now stripping indicated who Lethe was speaking about,<span style="color: Silver">“are not Pristine Knights.  They’re impostors.  I will send word through the official channels to get a Knight presence here in Gramhold to arrest them and discourage any other impostors.  However, it may take some time.  If you can spare a person, I would send them to Rayitas and ask for assistance.  Give them this message and they will respond.  If they dally for any reason, go to the Southeastern Docks.  I don’t want to think Rayitas is corrupt but after this display…”</span>She looked wearily at the bound men on the ground.<span style="color: silver"> “Take this.”</span>Lethe reached up and undid her Faith necklace, offering it to the other woman.<span style="color: silver"> “If you show this to any of the Knights, if they are true, they will respond immediately.  It will also protect you from Sin.  Unfortunately, without being recharged, its holy magic will eventually fade, but I hope there will be someone here by then that can recharge it.  If you ever need to contact me, press the back,”</span>She turned the necklace over to reveal a symbol at the intersection of the two lines,<span style="color: silver">“into wax and seal it with this sign.  It will come to my attention as soon as it can.”</span><br/><br/>Cricket suddenly appeared at her side, fist full of other<span style="font-style: italic">Faiths</span>.  Lethe cocked an eyebrow in curiosity but continued,<span style="color: Silver">“These are for you as well.  Their holy magic can protect against Sin.”</span>The white-haired Knight turned to face the villagers still within earshot, raising her voice for her next words.<span style="color: Silver">“I know.. that these are trying times.  Life is not easy and sometimes, we accidentally commit evil.  It’s okay.  We are people; none of us are perfect.  However, the Divine Light will always forgive you as long as you regret your mistakes, as long as you strive to do good and correct your flaws.  The Divine Light will never forsake you.  It will always hope that you return for salvation.  These necklaces, they can ward away the temptation of evil.  If something should happen, and you fear you’re falling into Sin, please take one of these and wear it.  Let the Divine Light soothe you and cleanse away your negativity.”</span><br/><br/>She turned to smile at the now teary woman, ignoring her own misty eyes.<span style="color: Silver">“Thank you for your hospitality, Sierra.  I hope I have a chance to return sometime.  I’m sorry that it’s taken so long for us to come and cleanse away this evil.  Please, don’t ever forget, the Divine Light is always beside you.  May the Divine Light guide you and keep you safe.”</span>With a final smile, she turned back to her squad.  They were all standing by now, ready to move out despite it being the middle of the night.  Behind her, she heard a choked whisper that made her smile.<br/><br/>“May the Divine Light guide you and keep you safe.”