Moonlight Temple: the Satyr

Note: This is not the first part of this story but you don't have to read the previous entries to understand this one

Alexios blinked awake, the sting of the rising sun in his eyes signaled the beginning of the third day he had spent in the town of Snakemouth. The young man sat up and yawned, he was surprised by how comfortable sleeping under a tree had been. He had always assumed it was an activity only undertaken by the destitute and the drunkards but the previous night had seen him so tired that he couldn't bring himself to drag his feet all the way to the tavern where he had rented his room.

He had expected a night of discomfort and insect bites but found the experience oddly refreshing. Waking up at the crack of dawn had filled him with a renewed sense of vigor that his usual sleep schedule did not provide. The whole forest Alexios was in was like a painted dream, the birds chirping, the yellow glow of the rising sun, and the cool air felt like something only experienced in fiction.

Two months ago he could only have dreamed of seeing himself in that position. Living out in the wilderness and sleeping under trees. Two months ago he was proud to call himself a scribe to an eccentric wise master. One who collected strange artifacts and claimed to be a master of the dark arts. For a slave, he had a better life than most but a life of subservience was something that never sat right with him. Alexios could not envision serving someone for the rest of his days.

So, in what must have been a fist of madness he stole something from his master that he claimed to be his most prized possession. A crescent moon medallion, made of gold and engraved with runes unrecognizable by even the most well-known scholars. He didn't intend to sell the gold medallion for cheap money, he had a plan. One that was desperate and foolish but a plan nonetheless. The medallion allegedly opened the gates to a temple in which one's greatest wishes could come true. If he could find it before one of his master's minions got to him, he could become the most powerful man to walk the earth.

But all that was somewhere in the future, for now, he had to find the temple and that was a prospect that was becoming harder and harder by the passing day. Allegedly, the forests near Snakemouth were home to ruins that may have belonged to the same civilization that created the moonlight temple he sought after, the civilization that through much research he had come to learn may have been called the Saturnians.

Alexios had spent almost an entire day searching for the ruins and when he had found it, he spent hours more studying and attempting to decipher the inscriptions left on its walls. After hours of careful, meticulous analysis he was no closer to his goal than when he had started. As frustrating as his failure had been Alexios calmed himself, reminded by the fact that this was not a simple or quick process. He would find the moonlight temple as long as he was patient.

For now, all he had were scraps of information. He knew that the Saturnians were well versed in ancient and strange magic and worshiped some kind of moon goddess but beyond that, all he had were frustrating speculations.

Leaving his sleeping spot by the tree, Alexios walked a few minutes to a small well on the outskirts of the town. Nobody was present so he drew some water from the well, stripped down, and bathed himself. Just because he was out in the wilderness didn't mean he could ignore his hygiene.

Just like sleeping under a tree, the idea of bathing in a possibly public area had seemed like something he would never have considered two months ago. In the short time, he had been traveling he had done things he never thought himself capable of. From acts that filled him with pride to acts that filled him with great shame.

One decision that had brought him great shame was such was his decision to take on a companion. His qualms about his companion did not come from the fact that he couldn't bring himself to accept others' help. Aphrodisia had saved his life from an attacker, she was as strong as she was beautiful and as tall as she was fierce but the problem arose from the fact that she had an insatiable sexual appetite.

With no money to entice her and not wishing to divulge the knowledge of the moonlight temple, Alexios traded a master for a mistress. He now did everything she asked, especially satisfying her carnal desires. To his even greater shame, Alexios had come to greatly enjoy the task forced upon him. As he finished cleaning himself and threw on his clothes Alexios reminded himself that when he found that temple, she would be subservient to him, everyone would be.

The town of snake mouth was a depressing hovel. Alexios could not fathom how one could retain the will to live while staying in that town for any extended period of time. A rickety shanty town of battered wooden buildings, two brothels housing women who must have been born not long before the dawn of time itself, and a tavern were all that the Snakemouth had to offer.

The tavern was the best-looking establishment in town, but that was not a stunning compliment. It looked like it had been put together by a child, its walls were made of haphazardly placed boards of wood and the sign above the door had somehow misspelled the word tavern by failing to add a legible "e".

The inside was no better, Crude tables littered the establishment, and bottles and tankards littered the floor. The only thing in the room that was not malformed or repugnant was the women that lay fast asleep in the middle of the drinking area. She was Alexios's traveling partner Aphrodisia.

Aphrodisia was a fierce warrior of a woman. Taller than most she had long blond hair and dazzling green eyes (which were closed at the moment.) She wore a single strap of brown cloth that somehow contained both of her watermelon-sized breasts and a brown loincloth. Today she seemed to have ignored any kind of footwear but she usually wore black sandals.

Alexios rolled his eyes. He had come to tolerate her hedonistic impulses, especially when he was not involved. While she was impulsive and easily distracted she was a very good fighter, something he completely lacked, and without her his chances of survival were slim.

Deciding to let her sleep he moved to the stairs on the other side of the tavern. At the top of the stairs were two doors, one that was the bartender's quarters and a spare room that was rented out to guests. The spare room was surprisingly cheap and Alexios had rented several nights there.

Alexios was just glad to be somewhere resembling a home. He could rest, eat and move on when all was said and done. But as the door creaked open any prospect of rest slowly left the young man's mind. It took him only a glance to notice something was wrong and a few seconds to realize what it was. Within the tiny room, the one bed had its mattress torn from the frame and discarded in a corner, all the cupboards were open and all his travel bags lay scattered on the floor. Books and scrolls that Alexios had kept with great care were discarded on the floor like rubbish, it was clear that they had been robbed.

Panic-stricken Alexios darted to one of his bags, the one he kept the medallion in. He had not wanted to wear a gold medallion around his neck for fear of attracting unwanted attention, from either thieves or his former master's accomplices. He rummaged through the bag even though deep down he knew the answer he would find. Many things had been taken, including the medallion itself. The most important object in the world to Alexios, his one and only hope had been taken. "No!" he shouted as anger and humiliation filled his soul like a burst dam.

****

Aphrodisia was shaken awake by Alexios, a gesture she did not appreciate as her head felt like it had several cracks in it. "What do you want?" she asked groggily. "Our room! It's been ransacked!'' Despite the pounding headache the words he spoke awoken a sense of urgency in her brain. Somewhere in her mind, she understood that something was wrong. "What?" She mumbled. "Someone was in our room! They looted the place and they have the medallion!" Alexios continued to shout, every word directly attacking the gashes inside her head that the previous night's alcohol had inflicted. After much angry and panicked shouting from Alexios, Aphrodisia got to her feet and went to their room to survey the damage.

Indeed they had been robbed. "Damn it!" She exclaimed. "I think I know who did this but..." She stopped herself. That statement was only partially true. The previous night was a blur, she had drunk enough ale to drown a sailor and the previous night's events were now nothing but a mess of half-remembered faces and brief sensations. "Who was it?" Alexios asked in a very demanding voice. "It may have been someone I was playing a round of cards with." Her attempts to remember only put blades of pain into her eyes and brain.

"Who. was. it?" repeated Alexios, ignoring her as she rubbed her temples trying to clear her mental fog. "WHO!?" He thundered his voice like a war hammer to her brain. "I don't know!" she screamed back "I can't remember how old I am right now! My head is fit to burst with all this shouting!" Her plea for some quiet was met with an annoyed scoff as Alexios stormed out of the room and down the stairs leaving his partner to rub her forehead.

As Alexios reached the bottom of the stairs and re-emerged into the bar, something clicked in his mind. The bartender must have been present during the previous night's festivities, it was unlikely he had not heard or seen something, in fact, it was more likely that he had conspired with the thieves to rob passersby who stayed at his establishment.

With his heart still burning with anger the young man calmly walked behind the bar and into the small kitchen where the owner was busy sweeping away dust. The owner of the tavern was a frail skeleton of a man. He looked to be a thousand years old, had no hair on his head, owned a wispy white beard, and arms as thick as twigs. He wore a ragged brown waistcloth and was naked from the waist up. Unfortunately, this revealed the fact that every bone in his skeletal structure was perfectly visible.

The owner turned from his task to meet the scholar's gaze. "You're not allowed back here, get out" he mumbled. He turned away expecting his demands to be met. Alexios let the silence linger for a few beats before the old man turned around again. "Didn't you hear me? Out, leave me be." It was only then Alexios spoke. "We were robbed," he said flatly "who else was in the tavern last night?"

The old man's eyes betrayed himself even before any words could be spoken. They were shifty and filled with uncertainty. "I don't know, I-I went to sleep early last night, now go away!" With his already shallow pool of patience exhausted Alexios grabbed the broom out of the old man's hands and flung it across the room where it crashed into a wall with a loud crack. "What do you think you're doing!" cried the old man furiously. "I know you're lying!" Alexios demanded. "Who else was here last night!" Before the old could respond the younger man had grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall.

"Please, mercy!" he shrieked, trying to ball himself up. "Who was here last night!" Alexios screamed. "Who stole from us!" The old man's face cringed with terror. "Alright! Alright! His name is Diokles! He probably took it to the shrine... as an offering." Alexios loosened his grip around the owner's neck. "Shrine?" "Yes," said the old man bobbing his head up and down like a chicken. "Some of the people here take things to offer to the shrine, to the satyr that guards these lands... if we are lucky it grants us guidance." "Where is the shrine?" "West, far west near the caves at the base of the cliffs, now please leave me be!"

Alexios released the man and turned to the door that led back into the inn. He stopped momentarily when he saw Aphrodisia standing in the doorway. She had a look he had never seen on her face, he couldn't tell if it was shock or disgust or both. Her surprise only stalled him for a few moments as he instantly began to head to the exit brushing past her.

Alexios stormed out of the inn and began hurrying down the beaten path. The sound of the inn door creaking open did little to slow him down but when Aphrodisia called out his name he stopped in his tracks. "What was that?" She asked. There was a half-second pause. "We need to go, the caves aren't close by," said the young scholar, completely ignoring her.

"No" she replied authoritatively "what was all that about? Manhandling an old man like that, what's gotten into you?" Gritting his teeth Alexios once again ignored her statement "We don't have time for this, I need to get that medallion back now as soon as I can."

Her hand gripped his shoulder and spun him round to face her. "Look, people get robbed all the time in places like this, that doesn't give you the right to attack an old man who's probably twice your-" Alexios knocked her hand away harder than he had intended.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had done your job!" his voice slightly cracking under the strain. "I asked you to keep me and my possessions safe and you've completely failed at that so far!" Aphrodisia slowly leaned away from him. Strangely she seemingly adopted a more relaxed pose on hearing this. She wasn't smiling, nor did she seem to be un-vexed by his sudden outburst. Despite her less tense stance her eyes had begun to dilate like a predatory cat about to attack, her face becoming a stone mask with no emotions.

"I saved your life once, you would do well to remember that," she said with an uncharacteristic flatness. "You saved yourself!" Alexios thundered in response. "And since then, you have done nothing to help me! Between that mess with the coven and now this I've had to fend for myself while you did nothing!" he yelled, surprising himself with how much venom his words carried.

Without thinking he spun around and began to storm away. "Stay here for all I care," he said as he marched down the path not looking back to see how she had responded.

****

Hours had passed and the sun now hung directly overhead. The usual summer heat it would rain down obscured by thick gray clouds. Alexios had been searching for the caves for hours, he had not had a bite to eat since that same time the previous day and was beginning to feel light-headed, although he acknowledged that was not the worst decision he had made that day.

His outburst at his now former partner had been far from wise. In addition to being impulsive and hedonistic, Aphrodisia was notoriously quick-tempered. Their last conversation could easily have ended with him now owning a shattered jawbone. Regardless, their partnership was definitely over. "Good riddance," he thought to himself. She was as lazy as a corpse because she knew he would never stand up to someone twice his size and far stronger than him. He had meekly put up with the antics for the month and a half they had traveled together because she knew he didn't have the spine to speak for himself.

He told himself that he was better off without her even though a creeping sense of doubt filled him. One way or another he would have to find another way to defend himself, he could not bring himself to go crawling back to her now. After wandering in circles for what felt like an eternity, Alexios stumbled on a clearing in the woods. This clearing was notable as it possessed a large stone pillar in its center.

It was riddled with carvings, there was almost no space on it that didn't have a rune, word, or bazaar symbol carved or painted onto its surface. Despite how visually noisy the obelisk was there was one thing that immediately drew the scholar's eye. Two sentences, larger in their words than any other and written in plain Hellenistic Greek, and read: "The Satyr guards these lands, present an offering and receive his guidance."

A small bowl rested beneath those words. Clearly to accept any offerings. The man named Diokles may show himself, but the chance of that was slim. At the same time, Alexios had no other options in front of him.

Deciding to hide out of sight Alexios decided to sit down on a rock under some trees, sufficiently hidden by shadows and a bush so that anyone who entered the clearing would not notice him. As he moved to the spot he heard a voice behind him. He had not expected Aphrodisia to follow him here. "What is it?" He asked quietly.

"What do you hope to accomplish out here?" She asked with her unmistakable and heavily misplaced sense of superiority. Alexios was tempted to tell her to shove off but didn't. "I was told the thief might come here," he said. Maybe he didn't want to push his luck, maybe he simply didn't care. "Then what are you going to do when he gets here?" A good question that Alexios had not thought too hard about. He would have to answer that question when the time came.

"I'll take back what is mine," he said without looking back. "He'll kill you" she responded with a scoff. "Why don't you swallow your pride and let me help you hmm? You may actually survive" the urge to verbally dismiss her was growing but the doubt in his soul was still there. He should have told her to just leave but the words caught in his throat as they came out.

She crouched beside him letting the silence hang as the two sat in wait. After about an hour the sound of footsteps began to echo up the path. Two men walked into the clearing, looking shifty. One was shorter, possibly slightly shorter than Alexios, he had a scruffy dark beard, greasy hair, and sunken eyes. His friend behind him was much taller and much fatter, he had no hair on his head or face and had small eyes that looked barely open. Both of them were clothed in worn brown tunics and tattered sandals but the bigger man wore a sword on his belt.

Aphrodisia laid a hand on Alexios's shoulder. "The smaller man, that's Diokles," she said, "we were playing cards most of the night." The man who must have been Diokles walked up to the obelisk glancing around as if to make sure nobody else was there. He clearly wasn't studying the environment very hard or he may have seen the two. "What if he doesn't show up?" asked the larger man.

"Quiet! He'll be here I know it" Said Diokles with a sense of both irritation and conviction. "I've been trying to draw that damn goat man out for almost a half year now, there's no way he's going to ignore this one," he said, reaching into his pocket and producing the medallion. Even with the cloud-filled sky and the canopy of branches overhead the medallion still gleaned somehow.

"How do you know this one will work?" probed the fat man "the satyr's ignored every other offering you gave it." The skinny thief rolled his eyes "because I know this one's special, this isn't some ordinary hunk of gold, this is my big chance. Besides, if he doesn't show I can still sell this for a handsome reward." In the shadows, Alexios balled his hand into a fist at the thought of something he had fought so desperately for being sold off like some trinket.

There was a rustling beside him as Aphrodisia stood up and walked into the clearing, Alexios for the first time realized that she too had a sword on her hip. "Afternoon" she greeted, causing the two men to spin around to her. Diokles slipped the hand that held the medallion behind his back. "Oh, it-it-it's you" he stammered caught off guard "if you want another game it'll have to wait I'm busy right now."

Alexios emerged from his hiding place and walked next to his partner. Aphrodisia for her part simply laughed at Diokles's stammered response.

"I seem to remember you losing a lot of money to me last night, but for some reason, you seem to have a lot of my possessions in your pockets." she said calmly "like that medallion behind your back."