With Danti back on his feet, they hiked back to their cave. Pelias and the cleric were already there. The latter held a stone in her hand that gave off more light than a campfire. She sat on a three-legged stool in the center of the cave, her posture tense and wary.

  Calvin grabbed another stool. “You guys get some sleep. I’m taking first watch.”

  His crewmates went to bed without complaint, but the cleric didn’t move. Calvin ignored her… mostly. He set down his stool in a place where he could have her in his peripheral vision as he watched the cave opening. He wanted to have some warning if she tried some healing shenanigan.

  Half an hour passed with Danti’s snores the only sound. Then the cleric spoke. “What brought you there tonight?”

  Calvin smiled. “A snake. You saw him, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but he was dead when we got out of that room. He didn’t know you meant to kill his leader, did he? I mean, you got out of those ropes so easily.”

  “No, not him.” Calvin gestured to Edwin. “That’s the snake who brought us there.”

  “But why?”

  “Isn’t it enough that we were there? You’d be dead if we hadn’t been. Painfully, too.”

  “I’m sorry.” She looked down. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I just… Most adventurers would look for some kind of treasure before leaving a place like that. You guys were satisfied to leave as soon as that big snake was dead. All you took was that knife.”

  “You think we just wanted to kill some big snakes for the thrill of it? Is that it?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “You remember we specifically left a Master alive, right?”

  “Yes, but you were confident he’d be killed soon. It seemed like you were hoping for that.”

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  “I won’t deny that. You wanted to know why we were there?” Calvin inclined his head. “That’s why. We killed their leader to destabilize their cult’s hierarchy. When they find him dead, there’ll be a bloodbath among their ranks as they all vie for authority. Only a fraction of the cultists will survive, which means they’ll have a lot less resources to capture people like you to sacrifice in their devil worship.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, my. That’s… well, I see. Okay. So are you mercenaries?”

  Calvin snickered and shook his head. “More like clerics than mercenaries.”

  She frowned. “Clerics? But you said he’s allergic to divine magic.” She pointed at Danti.

  Calvin rocked his head from side to side. “Well, it’s not so much an ‘allergy’ as the result of a devil’s curse. ‘Allergy’ is just the fastest way to explain it. Anyway, he gets pretty sick any time someone uses divine healing near him. Gives him a lot of pain. So don’t go trying to heal any of us, okay?”

  “Oh, okay. Have you tried finding a way to break the curse?”

  Calvin sighed. “Not with any success. But believe me when I say we’ve been thorough.”

  Her shoulders fell, and she gazed sadly in Danti’s direction for a while.

  “Where are you going next?”

  “Down south.” His stomach squirmed, so he continued. “Back to our contact to report on the mission.” The squirming stopped. Calvin glanced at the cleric.

  “Your contact?” She hadn't seemed to notice his moment of discomfort.

  “That's what I said.”

  “You said you were like clerics.”

  “Sort of.”

  “Do you follow a god?”

  “Yes, but you wouldn't know him. He prefers to keep to the shadows.”

  She tensed, gripping her glowing stone more tightly. “Don't… Don't take this the wrong way, but that sounds more like a crime syndicate than a religion.”

  Calvin laughed. “You'd be surprised how often I hear that. But do you really think a crime lord would care about taking down an evil cult?”

  She paused. “Point taken.”

  He nodded. “Ours is certainly different from your religion, but that’s what happens when the pantheon is so wide. Light, life, storms, stars, shadow. As long as we end up doing good, does the approach matter?”

  Her expression tightened as if she didn’t agree. She left her seat for a corner of the cave. “I’m going to get some sleep.”

  Calvin nodded and turned his attention back to the cave entrance. As much as he enjoyed debating religion, her time was better spent resting, and his time was better spent laying out plans for the next mission.