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.