To Become a Chaption (Kathrine Steele)

[opzoneworld]

As they walked along the beaten path, the traveler continued to speak the words of Toran to Kathrine.  Stories of grander, men and women of honor, of glory filled Kathrine’s head like a young child taking in a bedtime story from her mother.  The more the traveler spoke, the more Kathrine was inspired, touched.

Alas they reached the city, and it was time for the traveler to go her own way, and for Kathrine to start her own journey to Toran.  Over the last month and a half, the traveler had taught Kathrine much, but there was only so much she could teach her.  The rest would have to come from Toran himself.

As the traveler walked away, Kathrine went over what she had told her in her head.  The three stages to becoming a Champion of Toran.  First, a fighter.  Driven by stories of honor and glory, a fighter of Toran leads anyone that will follow against evil in the name of Toran, most often without the backing of the church.  That is where she would have to begin her training.

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Walking through town, Kathrine noticed a beautiful woman pacing back and fourth, obviously distraught, talking to herself.  “This will be a good first test for myself,” Kathrine said to herself.  She walked up to the woman and introduced herself.

“Good evening M’Lady.  My name is Kathrine Steele, Kath to those close.  I am a follower of Toran.  If I may be so bold, you look a bit distraught.  May there be something I could help you with?”

Florah Tax looked up at Kath startled.  “Oh..er...uh...no dear.  Thank you.  I am fine.”

Kath continued to stand there a moment.  “You seem to be looking for something.  Are you sure there is nothing I can help you with?”

Florah looked Kath up and down one more time and then nodded her head for her to come closer.

“I am the tax keeper of this fine city and I seem to have had my tax book stolen from me.  If anyone were to find out......”

“Calm down dear.  Tell me what you know and by Toran’s grace, I shall retrieve it for you.”

Florah went on to tell Kath about the Ratman and how she believed he was hidden within the city sewers with her book.

“By Toran, you shall have your book back.”  With that, Kath was off to the city sewers do dispense an evil and help one in need.

[opzoneworld]

Pitch black was all that could be seen inside the sewer.  There was a damp, musky feel all around.  In the distance, the patter pater of mouse feet and squeaks could be heard, along with the sounds of slowly dripping water.

Reaching into her pack, Kath found her torch and struck up a light.  Slowly the darkness began to fade and the mossy, green, wet walls of the sewer were visible to her.  

Because she was a rather tall woman, Kath found it necessary to duck ever so slightly while walking through the sewers.  “Do not step in ANY water” she told herself.

With her longsword in one hand and her torch in the other, Kath slowly crept through the sewer looking for this Ratman.  As she turned a corner, she spotted a group of three small rats.  What was worse, they spotted her too.  Quickly they came running towards her.  Kath dropped her torch down to them and tried to hold them back with the fire.  They tried to jump around the flame at her but it was no use.

Kath waited for the right moment and then quickly struck each one down.  “One set down, hopefully not much more to go”, Kath said to herself as she began to walk again.

After roughly ten more groups of rats, all falling to Kath’s use of fire and steel, she saw an opening to a large room.  “This must be it”, Kath thought.

Kath took a deep breath, and then let out a quick prayer for blessing.  “Toran, please bless my sword and let your blessing shine upon me”.  With that, she crept into the room.

From the first step, Kath new this was not going to be any easy fight.  The smell of this room was all she could handle.  The wet, damp, moss.  The smell of rat droppings.  Old, rotten food.  Before she new it, her eyes were watered over from the smell.  How was she going to fight like this?

The travelers words suddenly popped into her head.  “Trust Toran.  Let Toran guide you.  Let his will lead you.”  Kath relaxed and continued walking again.

To her amazement, she was able to block out the smell and completely concentrate on the task at hand.  That was good because the task was coming straight for her.

Quickly, Kath jumped to her right and did a small roll as the Ratman jumped at her with his weapon.  As she rolled, she used the fire end of her torch to push the Ratman to the ground.  Getting up from the end of the roll, she was able to get a quick stab in to his arm before he could defend himself.

Again, the Ratman lunged at her, weapon drawn.  This time Kath jumped straight up and pushed the weapon into the ground with her torch.  With her sword arm, she slashed down on the Ratman’s other arm, causing a gush of blood to poor out.

A look of fear quickly flew across the Ratman’s eyes and he made one last ditch effort towards Kath.  With her longsword, she turned the attack away and flung the Ratman to his back, where with a quick slice of her blade, slit his neck.  It was over.

Kath feel to her knees right then and there and prayed to Toran.  “Toran, please have mercy on this creature as he passes into the afterlife.”  Kath arose, took a look through his belongings, and found the tax book.  Having found what she came down for, she turned and headed up to the surface.

[opzoneworld]

With the book in her hand, Kath returned to Florah.

“Here you go dear.  Good as new.  Nobody will ever know that you lost it.”

Florah let out a great sigh and a smile of relief came over her face.

“Ah. Thank you.  You are a woman with a great heart.”

Kath returned the smile to Florah.  “Do not thank me dear.  Thank Toran.  He gave me the strength and courage to retrieve your book.  All thanks should be given to him.”

After a few more moments of chit chat, Kath said goodbye to her new friend, and continued on her way.  She had been told that there were many in this small city that were in need the need of help, and by Toran, she would help then all.

[opzoneworld]

After leaving Florah, Kath thought it to be a good idea to relax a bit and take in the small city.  Upon arriving, she met Florah almost instantly and really had not had the time to take in the peaceful beauty of it all.

Much of what she saw was new to her eyes.  Things she had only heard about in fairy tales.  This was a different part of the world indeed.  A land far, far away from her home.  

It was then that she noticed a worried man.  A man possessed with a need.  He was on a mission but what was on his mind seemed much deeper than that.  Kath got up and walked toward the man.

“Hello Sir.  My name is Katherine Steele, Kath to those who know me.  You seemed troubled.  Is there something I may help you with?”

The man looked Kath up and down.  It was easy to tell that this man had been hurt before, probably by a beautiful lady; thus, he had little trust in them.  Just as it seemed this man would never divulge anything to Kath, “My name is Johan.  I have an emergency.  My son, my only child, its his birthday.  I promised I would make him something special, and I have not the material that I need to do so.  With my hands, I am blessed.  With a sword, I was skipped over.”

Nodding in understanding of the man, Kath offered her services.  “What can I collect for you Johan?  I am a follower of Toran and it seems his will has brought me before you to help.”

“It is simple really,” Johan explains.  “I just need one rat pelt.  Then I can create the gift for my son.”

“One rats pelt it is then Johan.  I shall return shortly.”

[opzoneworld]

Something special for his birthday.  How sweet was that?  Kath had to find this pelt and fast.  There was less than 24 hours until the big party and she had to allow for time for the present to be created.  It was easy to tell that Johan was a very skilled man, but even the most skilled needed time to perform their work.  

Outside the shop, Kath took a moment to think over where she could find some rat pelts.  There was so much of this land that she had yet to see, so many places left undiscovered.  Searching through them all would....then it hit her.  The sewers.  How could she have forgotten all the rats she came across when gathering the tax book.

Back to the sewers she went, this time for a nice, plump, fat, rat.  There was a difference this time however.  It was like the rats new that she was after them, for they were nowhere to be found.  Deeper and deeper into the murky sewer she went until finally, the scurrying of rat feet could be heard.

Kath was not known for her tracking skills so she froze there for a moment.  It was there that she prayed to Toran.  “Toran.  Please bless my ears and my nose.  Please help me to pick up even the slightest smell and the slightest sound.  Help me to track this rat and help out the fine man in need.”

Five corners later, Kath had a group of rats trapped.  In the middle, a plump one.  Easily killing the four around it, Kath trapped the big one and gather it up.  Looking over its skin, Kath was more than satisfied with it.  As painlessly as possible, Kath took the pelt and headed back to Johan.

The smile on Johan’s face was priceless.  It made crawling through the murky, muddy, smelly waters of the sewer all worth it.  The peace that came over from helping another was a feeling that could be given no price.  Doing the work of Toran, no matter how big or how small, was a wonderful feeling.