Maric hummed a merry tune as he set about cleaning Hephaestus' shack. To him, the world was perfect at this moment. He had a home, the beginning of his own family, and even a little bit of a plan for the future. Everything seemed to be turning out beautifully.<br/>"Master!" Called out a familiar voice.<br/>Looking up from his work, he looked across the field to see the friendly face of his squire leading his mare. Maric waved back, and then put down his pitchfork next to the hay he had been cleaning out.<br/>"It's good to see you Faren." He finally said when they came face to face, slapping the boy heartily on the back. "It's been too long. Tell me, you've still been doing your exercises right?"<br/>"Yes sir." Faren replied simply.<br/>"Been practicing your sword forms?"<br/>"Yes sir."<br/>"Have you been letting yourself get distracted by the lass down at the flower shop?"<br/>"Y-yes. Sir." The boy admitted nervously.<br/>"Well, that's alright I guess." Maric said with another pat on the back. "Just do not let it happen too much."<br/>A look of confusion set upon Faren's face. Maric normally would have at least made him run laps around his land, or some other form of punishment. But that wasn't all that was different. He seemed... Happier.<br/>"Come on boy, you came here for a reason, did you not?"<br/>"Oh, yes!" Faren replied once jerked from his thoughts.<br/>Walking over to Susan, Faren took a long bundle of cloth and held it out to his master. Maric looked at the object with what looked like mixed feelings before taking it from his Squire's hands.<br/>"Thank you Faren. And what of the paladin that you mentioned you saw? Did you find out anything else?"<br/>"Well, um..." Faren began, his hand scratching nervously behind his head. "They are..."<br/><br/>----------------------<br/><br/>"...Laana daughter of Tanatra, paladin of divinity." Shouted the female paladin outside the temple. "I am here to speak to Maric son of Darren, paladin of light."<br/>Astride her dark maple colored warhorse, Laana looked as intimidating as any paladin ever was. Her long red locks were held back neatly under her helmet in a straight braid, and her ice blue eyes cast an intimidating stare, even through the slit of her faceplate. And by feminin standards, she was oddly tall. In fact, it even put men off. How come hight made it so difficult for men to talk to a woman sometimes?<br/>Laana had been told by the village priest (who wasn't very happy that they had been sent a woman of all people to help) that Maric had gone with a witch from this place. Hopefully from here she could track him down.<br/>What would he be doing with a witch anyways? Those who use powers for ill purposes should not be taken lightly. Maybe there was something to the letter he had sent to the guildmasters.