Alessia's Shrine Quests

Days after her and the kids' little adventures with the celestial echoes, Alessia had headed out to train the newly found proficiency she had found with her magic. Helping out the wounded in the Pyre's trail had helped her to reach a breakthrough in her control and power, allowing her to utilize her powers for a little longer, as well as handle more… complicated wounds easier.

Returning from an additional session of solitary meditation like that… she suddenly felt an odd urge? The doe couldn't quite put her fingers on it… until she came upon some… serious noise!

Following the angry predator noises, she found the camp of a certain group of hunter-type mages. OH… a certain group indeed! All of her hometown hated the very much self-regarding bunch… though, everybody sadly had admitted: the team had skill.

Going with the desire she felt in the back of her mind, she snuck up on the little group, inspecting their camp out of hiding. Shocked the female realized that the gang had caught a dangerous predatory animal, that had a big bounty on its head.

"Wait a minute… weren't *they* also…", Alessia mused to herself, having come upon a slightly less skilled, but among the towns-folks well-beloved hunter group, that had been on the hunt for the very same beast too.

And thus she got an idea… an awful idea… the saintess got a wonderful, awful idea!

Waiting till the whole group was asleep... she would never tell how, as she was pretty sure she couldn't, as the doe couldn't even believe she had actually pulled that one off: as the whole gang was sleeping, the saintess had replaced the deadly, predator they had caught, instead trapping it in the cage of the other group, that had been on the hunt for it. 

The fact that the gang of douchebags had reinforced the outside of their cage with solid plates of hardwood, meanwhile ensured that they'd never find out the beast they had caught had been switched out.

... except if they would double-check, but surely not even they would have been that stupid.

Barely managing to finish her little exchange in time, the Saintess thus went ahead on her way back to the town square, where big catches like this would usually be presented and assessed. 

Sure enough, the gang arrived about noon, cockily joking about how 'the mighty beast' had slept like a baby all the way here. 'Presumably because it was too exhausted after having had to face their combined, awesome power!', as the gang of hunters had proudly deduced, as they were proudly boasting about their great catch, as they waited for the responsible attendant to assess their catch, for claiming their bounty.

"Better be careful scaredy cats! Beast got a mighty temper!", The biggest of them and their leader declared as he loosened the chains, keeping the hardwood plates, around the iron barred cage, in place.

The hefty pieces of wood dropping to the ground with an audible bang… revealed a tiny, innocent bunny rabbit trapped inside the cage! The little critter looked around for a second, before hastily hopping off, slipping through the way to far spaced bars of the cage evidently not suited to keep a little bunny.

"Sirs… this is a bunny…", The attendant commented dryly, as the bunny hopped off, a lot of people bursting out laughing... people who had witnessed the gang boast about having caught one of the most dangerous predators known around so far.

Trying to excuse themselves or prove that they had hunted the creature… they found another little gift Alessia had left them: at night, as a little extra exercise, she had healed all their wounds from hunting the creature, making sure to discredit as much prove they could bring up as possible.

Cackling subtly to herself quietly… the saintess ended up thinking about where that sudden urge might have come from, but didn't worry much about it, as she left… the bulky hunter-type warriors still arguing with the unimpressed attendant, sternly denying all their claims.

Only a few hours later, the second group of hunters returned from their hunt, somewhat confused at the going-ons as to how the creature ended up in their cage over night… but were praised as heroes nonetheless.

How the whole scenario ended out, the doe learned at dinner time from Kob, who himself heard about it while out shopping for their evening meal. 

The scumbag hunters had immediately complained that they had caught the critter and the other group had somewhat stolen it over night… but as the big boys had no valid proof, the more benevolent second group had decided: "Well… as we don't quite know how the fella ended up in their ourselves… let's just split half of the bounty between both our teams and have the rest given to charity?"

Deciding it was better to save face, the rougher hunter group in the end had decided to go along with the other group's suggestion, this close to inexplicable, but also somewhat humorous event thus ending up one of the big secrets of the town.

Going to bed that day… the saintess did end up feeling bad for taking an honest achievement from the hunters, albeit them being self-centered douchebags, which wouldn't even lift a finger without being paid for it.

"W E L L . . . folks like them, might be the most likely to end up corrupted? At least more likely, as benevolent hunters like the other gang? . . . and didn't the noble have me trained to do whatever possible to oppose corruption?", Just shrugging to herself like that, the female got to bed in a more eased state of mind, as she'd definitely wouldn't have bad feelings to give fellas like those what they deserved.

Not like Alessia had done much to prevent the path of Corruption like that . . . but doing whatever necessary to prevent Corruption, the doe had to admit was the one thing she agreed with her 'blue blooded' patrons… aside from nonsensical justifications like those she came upon during the time of the witch hunters waltz, obviously!