Solar Medallion

Eventually the village would bring itself into view, it was a humble sight to behold, a patchwork of homes made of cracked stone, crooked timber, sharply slanted roofs with wooden tiling that seemed to wither and splinter at the slightest touch. The windows all seemed to have been boarded up partially, their wooden doors reinforced many times over with a patchwork of planks, some fresh and others rotted. 

The people there seemed all on edge, as we approached the gate we were halted by two sentries; both seemed young and better built than the rest of the villagers, a pair of twins. Each one towering, a fair bit rotund, possessing a pale complexion that had been marred by many wounds and scars. Their main distinguishing features being that one seemed to wear a rudimentary eye-patch over one ear whilst the other lacked his brother's fiery ginger hair, apparently having gone completely bald, yet sharing the same thick flowing beard; the crumbs of bread glued to it.

They slammed their gargantuan great axes on the ground before us, with a force that I swore made the ground shake beneath my feet, crossing their handles before us to bar entry. The old man attempted to speak before the bald one hushed him with a loud groan. His voice resounded a deep tone, my bones seemed to almost shake under his voice, a part of me almost wanted to test myself against them immediately- no I absolutely DO NOT want to fight them under any circumstances.

"Halt! What is your name and purpose? These are dangerous parts for a stranger to be wandering in. Make yourselves known before-"

That look in his eyes was unmistakeable, doubt and scepticism. Not that I'd expected anything short of that, based on what I had learnt from the old man, the church seemed to be on the border of what one might consider an extremely dangerous part of the world. One where no one even dared to venture, and after their lost expedition, I could see why the villagers would be on edge. That, however, was their problem and not mine.

I took a step forward, feeling tiny compared to the two hulking sentries, steeling my voice and trying to find confidence from the deepest pits of my psyche. If years of corporate subterfuge taught me anything, it was the value of a good bluff. My brows were furrowed, my hands behind my back, subtly sucking in as much air as my lungs could hold to give my voice more volume.

"SILENCE!"

My voice bellowed, it was loud, there was a certain ferocity within it that felt quite foreign to my own remembrance of it. Would the aspect of Sekhmet have influenced it in any regard? Perhaps so. Nonetheless, after my brief moment of silence, I seemed to have accrued a small crowd from the village, a few more concerned on-lookers now watched us warily, some mothers clenched their children whilst others closed their windows. The twins seemed to now share something amongst them, nervousness, and preparation for confrontation.

I found myself habitually loosening my collar, before staring daggers into the two, I had to commit to the bluff now. Even as, the two lowered their great axes, adopting a combative stance. Even if I had won my first encounter with the Dryad Cat, two warriors were a different story, I had no way of knowing how skilled they were, but they were two and would definitely have me beat in the department of experience. 

"You should all be thanking me..." I continued, turning my frame slightly to highlight the old man I'd dragged along on our makeshift cart. "If not for me, your village would've lost another hunter to the woods, or to infection of his wound. Do not atrophy away time you do not have, get your healers to tend to him, and I demand an audience with your elders."

I reached into the coin purse I had taken from the cathedral, retrieving one of the coins, perhaps I could use the currency to pass off as a merchant or at least more reliable than a vagabond. As I showed it to them, they seemed to both step aside and kneel their heads down.

"Our deepest apologies, Your Holiness, we behaved disrespectfully towards you without knowing your infinite benevolence. Please forgive us."

The complete shift in their reaction rendered me silent for a moment, I almost wondered what made them pivot their speech so much, especially as the old man had scarcely a chance to speak. My silence seemed to only make them break out into a phantom sweat, as I thought a way to inquire without seeming oblivious. I was a little too deep into the con to switch stories now.

"Raise your heads, tell me, do you recognise what this coin is?" I asked, almost in a chiding tone of voice, trying to adopt the tone of a stuck up clergyman, a surprisingly common sight on most podcasts. For as much as I despised those type of people, the borrowed persona was a utility in this instance.

Nervously, the patch-eyed one raised his head and answered, his voice more humble and shallow than before. A distant glimpse towards the old man showed him pale up, a reminder that time was still of the essence.

"A solar medallion. Worth around two hundred gold, or twenty thousand silver. Only one who possess divine favour can hold one without being incinerated."

"What does that mean then." I pressed.

"That you are favoured by the Gods, Your Holiness, and that we were foolish to speak so rudely to you." 

I toyed with the solar medallion for a moment, was I able to hold it due to having a partial aspect of a Goddess? Whatever the reason was, this was an undeniable reliance that I could use to my advantage. And that is exactly what I would do, sighing out a deep breath, I clapped my hands twice and gestured for the two to rise.

"You are forgiven this once, but do not test my patience, I am on pilgrimage and wish to speak to your Elders post-haste. Take the hunter to the healers, and guide me to your Elders immediately, I have a proposal for them."