drawing people, writing things

by Togi Kayako illustrated by serenity_winner

Merry’s sword sliced cleanly through another thorn-studded vine and he clanked a few precious steps forward. Sweat clung to his face and back from the harsh afternoon sun, and he still hadn’t reached the base of the wizard’s tower. He had no doubt of his heading, at least: Its walls of glimmering white stone formed a painfully bright line in his vision. The only mercy — thanks be to the Pure Lady — was that the thorn vines had yet to regrow, lash out at him, or move to block his path.

If luck was with him, that meant the wizard was already dead. The main complaint from the nearby village, beyond a few mentions of strange lights and noises, was simply that the tower existed. Given that the puffed-up man who’d put in the request for a paladin called himself the mayor of Towershade, it had to predate the village. While fully inhabiting his role as Cosmerius, noble paladin of the Pure Lady, he had listened to everyone who spoke and nodded along sympathetically. Alone, tired, and covered in stinking sap, Merry uncharitably wondered why in the world they’d chosen to settle down by such a dangerous landmark.

They’d probably have to rename the town once the order’s mages wiped the tower out of existence, but thankfully that was none of his concern. He had two simple tasks: clear a path to the tower, and make sure there was nothing left inside that could kill one of his precious few magically gifted brethren.

The ordinary paladins were valued too, of course, if not quite as much as the magical ones. Merry himself had risen through the ranks as high as he could go while still being allowed out on missions. There were rumblings of him being set to train the newest recruits in swordplay every so often, but Merry laughed them off as blithely as he could. He wasn’t as old as that yet, surely? There was silver in his brown hair, yes, but he still brought back more than his fair share of gold.

While Merry was lost in thought, the sun glided on past noon, and in due course he snapped the final vines between him and the clearing surrounding the tower.

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