Finally. The stray lock of hair he had kept as a memento of his short time with Tessa had unerringly pointed him to the direction where the half-elven woman was – aided by a tracking spell, of course – but he had not thought she would have wandered this far. Otherwise it was exactly the kind of place where he'd expect to find a hunter like her, the sole tavern of a small town. A place to relax and hear the latest news.

At first he had planned to carry Saska's comatose body with him, but far too soon found out that for some reason it attracted ghouls and worse. Perhaps they sensed that the boy's soul was gone. In the end he had taken the rather long detour to reach the little town he had first visited in this realm. It wasn't much, but at the very least he hoped he could trust Matt after helping free his siblings from their curse. And with Saska staying in one place, he could cast wards against the monsters.

Tessa smiled when she saw him. "Raviel! Long time no see." She scooted a little to the side on the wide bench. "Please take a seat."

Raviel did as he was asked, studying the man on the opposite side of the table discreetly while at it. His cloak was spread on the bench next to him and on it lay a stringed instrument Raviel was pretty certain was some variety of lute. On the floor rested a medium-sized bag with a shoulder strap for carrying. His clothes were stylish, in black and dark blue with a touch of silver, and no doubt more expensive than a mere peasant could afford. "Who's your companion?"

"I go by the name of Nightshade," the man replied, his voice a smooth baritone. "I'm a traveling bard, although I do peddle in information every now and then. Pleasure to meet you, Raviel. Tessa has told me about the adventures you shared."

"We go way back," Tessa assured the elf when Raviel appeared somewhat suspicious. "Nightshade...saved me from a life not worth living. You can trust him just as much as you trust me."

"Alright." She must have known he didn't trust her completely either. But his allies in this realm were few and far between. At the very least Tessa hadn't turned on him yet. "There was a boy, Saska, who was helping me. A will o'wisp stole his soul, and I need to find a way to get it back."

"That's peculiar," Nightshade commented, running a hand through his black hair. "I've only ever heard of will o'wisps luring people to their deaths. Usually by drowning."

"It's a little...complicated. That will o'wisp was his dead twin brother's soul who harbored a grudge against him. I asked the crone of the swamp, but she said I didn't have any way to pay her."

"I've heard that her prices tend to be much more than coin too," Tessa said. "But it's also possible she didn't want to admit she doesn't know of a way. When a soul is gone, it's gone and the body slowly withers away. That's just how it is."

"I might accept that if the soul had been devoured, but Saska is still alive. As a will o'wisp, true, but he's not gone yet."

"Is that so?" Nightshade pondered. "There is one place...but I can't guarantee it will work."

"What is it?" Any hope, no matter what, was better than none right now.

"Well," the bard leaned closer and lowered his voice. "There's a monastery. Elven one. Heard it's called the last bastion of light in this cursed world."

"Religion itself doesn't-"

"Ah, but the monks can use powerful magic. Holy magic. That's the exact opposite of will o'wisps and other restless spirits, is it not?"

"I want him cured, not exorcised."

Nightshade chuckled. "I think we can both agree that magic is a tool used as its wielder wishes, mister elven mage. But..." He paused. "In case they can't help, I do know someone who can."

Now Raviel eyed him suspiciously. "Why didn't you bring that up from the beginning?"

"There's an old relic kept in the monastery. My contact wants that, and the monks won't sell it."

"So you want me to steal it."

"Just offering another way in case they don't want to or can't help you. But maybe they do."

Raviel rose. "I don't steal, even less from clergy. But I thank you for telling me about this monastery. Where is it located?"

Nightshade looked at their female companion. "I'm sure Tessa will be glad to show you the way. They don't allow women inside, though, so there you'll have to part ways."

~*~*~

Not to cause any kind of awkward situation, Tessa fell behind once they could see the monastery and set up a camp with a promise to wait until Raviel had gotten the cure from the monks. She also offered to take care of his horse while at it. At the elf's concern about her safety she just laughed and stated that she had survived in the wilds just fine for years. Besides, should things get too tough, she could always run to the sanctuary area surrounding the building.

As he got closer, Raviel noticed that the monastery was not a single building like it had seemed from the distance. It was surrounded by a high wall with only a single wooden gate. Above the gate hung a large sun symbol. Bronze inlaid with gold, probably.

There was a strong piece of rope hanging next to the gate. Since nobody answered to his knocking, Raviel experimentally pulled it. Somewhere inside a bell rang.

A few moments later the gate opened.

"Welcome to the temple of Solataiel, brother," a male elf in white robes with the same symbol as had been above the gate embroidered at the chest spoke with a faint nod of his head. "How may I help you?"

"A friend of mine was...injured by an undead, and I heard you might be able to help."

"Is that so? Indeed, Solataiel does grant us many powers." He opened the gate wider and moved aside. "Please, come inside and share your tale over a cup of tea."

"Might I ask for your name, brother?" the monk asked as they walked through the yard.

"Raviel of Nightblade clan."

"I'm called Soldain, servant of the sun. I am the leader of this monastery, as humble as it may be."

"I see. I'm very grateful for your help."

It was a rather small monastery after all. Two buildings, one probably the actual temple and the other a dormitory. The rest of the walled area was pretty much one big garden to grow food.

A little while later they were in the dining hall in the dormitory, and Soldain brought them herbal tea brewed in a simple brass pot. That on itself was quite different from what Raviel was used to in communities of any kind – leaders rarely served visitors by themselves.

"May I ask where all your brothers are? It seems almost...deserted here," Raviel asked. Certainly everything was tidy and tended to, but empty.

"In the evening ceremony. They will be joining us for supper soon enough." Soldain poured some tea into two cups. "Not that there are that many of us left anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think I was interrupting something so important. I can wait-"

"Don't worry about it. Solataiel would not mind. It's been such a long time since we last had guests. Now please tell me about this friend of yours. Is he not with you?"

Raviel shook his head. "No, I didn't want to drag him all over the world without even knowing for certain where to go. His body is safe until I find a way to get his soul back."

"His soul? What stole it?"

"A will o'wisp. His dead twin brother. I understand this is hard to believe, but..."

Soldain placed his hand on Raviel's on the table between them and gave him a fatherly smile. "I believe you. It's not something I have ever heard before, but I will ask my brothers and study the humble library we have on unholy creatures and how to battle them."

"Just to make sure, I don't want to kill him. I want his soul returned to his body."

"I understand. Of course we all want our loved ones back if it's at all possible." He rose as a handful of other elves in similar robes entered the dining hall. "Ah, it seems the service has ended. I must see to everybody having their share of food. Please, stay a few days, until we find the way to help your friend."

Raviel bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you."

It was a little weird, though. How did the worship of an old sun god, elven judging by the name and the monks being all elves, exist here of all places? The name of Solataiel was somehow familiar, though. He had run into it while studying magic. Another faction of magic someone had deemed "unacceptable"? Perhaps.

It wasn't that important. What mattered was finding the way to save Saska.