Verse 20: "So They Set Off"

The food was good. Once we all finished it, Niels explained the deal he had struck with the owner of the butcher shop and how he wasn’t planning on coming back to Clearwood unless he was a wizard. After that, the three of us quickly cleaned up the table and set the remaining food into a set of packs that Niels had prepared for us yesterday.
          “Niels,” I said after he had finished explaining the contents of my pack, “how long is this journey going to take?”
          He looked thoughtful.
          “If we’re very strict about our schedule, it should only take seven or eight days.” He replied.
          Vivian nodded in agreement.
          “What are you going to do with all the drinks?” I asked as we started walking towards the tavern’s door.
          Niels sighed.
          “Part of the deal; if I ever come around to Lucijan’s butcher shop, I can get a free pound of meat every week.”
          I whistled in appreciation. Vivian smiled.
          “I knew there had to be a caveat to that. There was no way you’d give away the tavern and the drinks for just money.” She said knowingly.
          “Of course not; I’m optimistic, not dense.” He said playfully. “Are you two ready?” 
          The two of us nodded, but then Vivian held out a hand.
          “Wait, wait, hold on a moment.” She turned to look at me, her voice concerned. “What about the church I found you in? You aren’t going to leave it behind, are you?”
          I swallowed nervously before I remembered what I'd told her before.
          “Do I need to remind you that my holy texts are back in my monastery? We need to go to Kuzges–” I started. 
          Vivian waved her hand in my face and shushed me.
          “Oh, yes, now I remember. Kuzges, wizard, bring your books here. Sorry. I’m ready.”
          Niels chuckled as we stepped over the threshold of his tavern’s door.
          “Come on Vivian; what kind of priest would Shinko be if he abandoned people who were depending on him?” Niels commented.
          Vivian laughed awkwardly and looked down at me.
          “Yeah, I guess I had forgotten what I was implying Shinko. Forgive me?”
          I nodded absently.
          The three of us stepped out of Niels’ Meals, then walked down the streets of Clearwood for a little while, double-checking that we had everything we needed. Really, it was Vivian and Niels doing the checking. I was too busy thinking about what Niels had said. What kind of priest would I be if I abandoned those who needed me?
          That was hardly a question; I'd be a a bad one.
          But that was fine; I wasn’t actually a priest. All I was doing was spouting some religious jargon at these people who were dumb enough to fall for it.
          As soon as I thought about my previous idea, I realized how wrong it was. 
          I followed the two of them at a distance as we neared the edge of Clearwood. We passed by a few children; they smiled and waved at Vivian as she passed. A few of the older folk asked Niels where he was going, and then he would stop and explain that he was off to be a wizard; that was always followed by a small gift from them or a kind word of encouragement. I followed them both silently.
          Once we reached the edge of Clearwood and stood at the beginning of the path that would lead us to Kuzges, it was already mid-morning. 
          We didn’t say anything to each other as we took our first steps on that long and winding road, and the packs we were wearing still felt light. As the clear skies above us became hidden behind the forest canopy of the woods all around the town, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking.
          Vivian wasn’t a fool; she might not have been as educated as I was, but she wasn’t a moron.
          Niels wasn’t a fool either; when it came to the ways of this world, he was very savvy.
          Yet both of them had been very affected by what I had parroted from John.
          It made some sense though; a lot of what John did and promoted I agreed with. His morals were usually pretty good.
          I breathed a sigh of relief. For as much as Niels and Vivian appreciated the intent behind what I was saying, when push came to shove and I started telling them about everything this whole “priest” thing implied, they would realize that it was all illogical and unfounded, like I had.
          As the three of us kept walking along the forest paths, Niels began to whistle a little tune and Vivian hummed along with him.
          Since I couldn’t do either, I was satisfied with listening to the music. It started out as a quaint little song, with Niels whistling like a bird; then Vivian began humming the main melody, and it reminded me of an old song, but I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it before. The sun shone through the canopy of trees as Clearwood became more and more distant. Soon enough, it was a small glimpse down the path, and a little bit later, it was gone.
          Thus, we began our journey to Kuzges.

Edited on 09/17/25