Chapter 2: Cistercium Mater Nostra - Scene 6

Friar Konstantin coughed as he failed to get up and merely managed to move his body to sit upright.
"Hah, devils. Now you finally have me at your mercy, haven't you. But before you complete your filthy deed, at least reveal to me in whose orders you are doing this. My cousin, I presume?"
"What are you going on about? For the last time, we aren't spies or anything like that!"
"Then why did you sneak into our abbey to wreak all this havoc?"
"Don't tell me this is a normal abbey! You have these monsters walking around, you yourself carry a weird thin sword... Not to mention all those clockworks on this thing! There must be something wrong here!"
"This is an abbey of Cistercian monks, who have chosen to live in seclusion where they survive through their own work and labour. These "monsters" as you call them were created to aid them in tending the fields, building this cloister, and to generally make the isolated life up here possible. The same applies to the clockwork embedded into this complex, which controls a couple of mechanisms; for example fresh water supply and regulation of the temperature in the winter."
"So why do they carry weapons and can fight that well?"
"A couple of them were assigned to protect us from robbers and other such evildoers."
"But the villagers said..."
The beaten brother raised an eyebrow, and then suddenly burst into ugly yet also very bitter laughter.
"The villagers? Now this explains it! The foolish peasants, yet again not able to grasp the truth and instead deluded by their laughable fantasies lacking proper examination of the facts."
With shaking legs and grasping the wall, he slowly rose back to his feet.

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Chapter 2: Cistercium Mater Nostra - Scene 5

"What are you doing here?"
The two intruders started up in surprise and terror. Slowly they turned around to see a younger monk who despite of his not that old age seemed somehow bitter and weary.
"I, er... We, we just..."
Ruben struggled to find an answer.
"We're travellers and were heading for the valley on the other side when it got dark and sought shelter here?"
"Women are not allowed in this abbey. Your weak excuses do not make you any more trustworthy either. Who are you spying for?"
His voice grew sterner and from out of a corridor behind him arrived two armed machines, coming to a halt to either side of the relatively skinny, bald man in his white habit covered by a black scapular. As they menacingly pointed the tips of their halberds at the two suspects, the male one grasped his longsword.
"We're no spies. But what about you? You've got all those... monsters around, don't tell me it isn't you who's hiding something!"
"I inquire you to leave immediately!"
Upon his loud command, the clockwork knights stepped closer to their targets. Ruben reacted immediately and dashed forward, using his mighty zweihänder to push aside one of the weapons pointing at him, seized its blade and thrust it half-sword into the waist of the archaic robot. Yet as his sword penetrated the small open space under the sound of shattering iron parts, from his side swung downwards the axe-like blade attached to the halberd of the second guard. Having flung off her cloak Nadia had sprung forward and rammed the tip of her rod into the mechanic soldier's metal stomach. She quickly whispered a few unintelligible lines causing her rod to suddenly release a voluminous fireball right into the foe's clockwork abdomen. From all small rifts and gaps within its armour burst flames. Nadia sprung back, and as the flare made way for smoke the armour collapsed with a louder noise than the one it had made when it could still move.
"Assassins!"

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Chapter 2: Cistercium Mater Nostra - Scene 4

The light of the moon was lighting the stone steps leading up the cold rock as the waterfall next to them sparkled in its cold light. Carefully, both of the travellers set one foot in front of another trying not to slip in the darkness. Eventually, both suddenly stopped still.
"Wait! Nadia, do you hear this?"
"Yes... Is it another of those monsters?"
They listened into the night. From above them, barely audible in the neighbourhood of the rushing water, a creaking sound could be heard quite akin to the one the two had encountered earlier.
"It sounds like it..."
"But then again, it sounds too... The cogwheels seem to keep revolving without ever stopping."
"You're right, the thing back down only made that sound when it moved. And I doubt if there's more of them up there they would be walking up and down all the time."
"What should we do...?"
"...I'll take a look."
"Be careful!"
Ruben pulled himself up a small edge upon which the water seemed to fall before again tumbling into the depths at its corner and carefully peeked at what would await him. To his surprise, no moving being stalked the rock. Instead in front of him a tall structure rose into the sky.
"Nadia, you've got to see this!"
He climbed up the ledge and heaved her up to him. Like trees being sown and breaking it overwhelmed their ears, the origin of the noise extending all the way up the waterfall till the very top of the mountain. Sown all throughout it and turning as quickly as the liquid poured downwards were waterwheels, norias, and complex mechanisms of countless cogwheels of the most varied sizes connecting them to a mass of entangled buildings whose clearly defined and not too ornate shapes formed with a light and nearly colourless stone radiated a ghostly flair being bathed in the icy moonlight. Towering ogival windows lined many of the walls attached to one another to form over dozens of metres up to the point where the mountain touched the sky a series of mostly rectangular buildings gripping into another like the wheels of the giant machinery on its side which sometimes even expanded to the front. Their rooves, at least the ones not formed to low gables, stood out and served as sizeable terraces.
"And that's supposed to be a cloister? That's more like a... I don't even know."

The pair followed the small bit of stream flowing between the bottom of the upper half of the waterfall and the point where it again plunged down the edge. Along its entire length it was filled with water wheels - a few small pipes fuelled overshot ones situated higher up at the building and undershot ones directly in touch with the flowing water, behind small uneven places in the latter were a multitude of breastshot water wheels, and a new norias of varying size lifted up heaps of the crystal clear fluid into aqueducts. All while countless intertwining axes and cogwheels connected all of them into a most magnificent clockwork attached to the whole width of the cloister, and sometimes even extending into the rock. Though it was night, the sky was clear and the relatively sizeable moon's light emphasised on the mechanical masterpiece's outlines and reflected off its metal parts.
"I've never seen something like this before..."
"It looks like a giant clockwork. Who built all this I wonder?"
"Shh! Nadia, look!"
The two had been approaching the entrance of the structure, but mesmerised by the enormous window of stained glass extending above the tall gate framed by multiple overlapping layers of arches they had up until now not noticed the shady figures standing to the doorway's either side.
"Curses, more of them!"
The brave children seemed to not have been noticed yet, or were merely being ignored.
"Ruben, we can't fight again. Especially not two of them at the same time!"
"I know, I know... Looks like we can't climb up all these wheels either, that would be suicide."
Ruben looked around. On one wall's surface a single drop beamed in the moonlight as it fell down from something. Carefully and while trying to hide in the shadow and noise of the waterwheels he got closer and much to his pleasure found the droplet to have fallen off a leaf belonging to a convoluted set of ivy vines clawing at the pale stone. He motioned to his companion to follow him, which Nadia promptly but carefully did.
"Look at this, we can climb up here!"
No sooner said and done. Using the elegantly curving and mingling twines they managed to sneak onto a terrace and scurried into the shadow of the columns forming with the arches resting upon their shoulders a high arcade. Both kept silent, as within the light of a few torches they could see and hear on the terrace two more of the mighty clockwork knights. Yet in their metal gloves they did not wield weapons but instead ploughs.
"Are they... gardening?", whispered Ruben in disbelief. It was not until then that both noticed that below their feet was soft soil on which a few vegetables were planted. Indeed the two machines were tending the soil and sowing out seeds. Bewildered, the adolescents decided not to further question the matter and quickly sneaked into the building unseen.

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Chapter 2: Cistercium Mater Nostra - Scene 3

The couple was slowly approaching the enormous armoured guard. He has about two metres tall, and seemed to be of a mist healthy build. "There's no way around it, we have to get past him..."
Ruben clutched the hilt of his still sheathed zweihänder. But Nadia laid her hand upon his, exhorting him.
"Let's first talk to him, perhaps he will just let us past!"
"Hmph."
They had come well within the reach of ears and eyes, but the knight seemed to ignore them. His face was hidden by a most frightening helmet only leaving open a few small slits for his sight, which seemed to be fixed on the mountains of the other side of the valley, even as the two now stood directly before him.
"Uhm..."
The young warrior hesitated and scratched his head at a loss of words. His robed companion tried to take over.
"Could you please let us climb these stairs? You seem to be guarding them, but we don't have any ill intents, and..."
She briefly lost her fire, and looked to the ground before continuing.
"We've climbed all the way up here and would like a stay for the night, and that castle up there seems to be the only thing around here proving shelter."
There was no response, and the guard stood as firmly, unmovable, and silent as the mountain behind and beneath him.
"Please, let us through..."
Nothing. Eventually, Ruben stepped forward.
"I'm tired of this. We'll just go up there now, if you don't want to talk I'll just take that as a yes."
The second the hasty adolescents motioned his foot towards past the stairs and around the person before it, he was stopped short. In a most noisy manner of creaking metal almost akin to the sound of thunder, the halberd of the guard had blocked his way, hating right before his nose. And yet, despite his arms having reacted to swiftly, the bearer of the weapon stood as silent as before. Ruben stepped back again.
"We will go up there whether you want it or not! Now get out of the way!"
Not being reached in time by his friend attempting to hold back the furious fighter, he had drawn his sword. Almost simultaneously, the knight had immediately changed his position, adopting a dynamic stance fit for battle, his halberd pointing forward with its broad tip.
"Ruben, stop it!"
"Sorry, but we have to get past him. It's not my fault if he doesn't want to move."
The opponent remained still.
"Looks like I have to make the first move!"
The yell fell behind its speaker as the latter leaped forward, swinging down his blade at the defender.

The sound of it being blocked by the metal handle of the defender's tool of destruction was drowned in the one of the latter's motion, which thereupon became a forward thrust throwing Ruben backwards. He quickly got to his feet again, finding his enemy to have assumed the same position as initially.
"Grr... Just you wait."
He again dashed towards his target, this time readying his blade for a horizontal blow along the knight's waistline, where the seam of his solid armour revealed a thin slit. His advance was halted as he had to quickly leap sidewards to evade the mighty swing of the guard's elongated axe ramming into the ground.
"An opening...!"
Ruben attempted to ram his longsword into the enemy's weak spot; suddenly, his face turned pale. While the silent armoured one's right arm still held the halberd having dug itself into the rocky soil his other reached out and stopped short the blade endangering the body attached to it, grasping it tightly.
"N... no!"
Two simultaneous sounds stabbed the ears of the two adolescents, both that of metal parts grinding others. Both came from the direction of the soldier's arm, and one of them was his hand's struggle with the sword it tried to crush.
"You... you monster! Let go!"
In panic upon hearing that his weapon was losing Ruben attempted to tear it away from its oppressor, and yet it was naught.
"I said let go!"
All of a sudden, in his terrorised and widened eyes reflected the shine of a bright flame firing past him and smashing onto the thick armour. A bit startled and to maintain his balance, the knight let go of the sword giving its bearer a chance to retreat a few steps.
"Thank you."
"Ruben, stop it! You don't have a chance against him!"
"And make you climb down this mountain in the darkening night or make you sleep up here in the height? Never!"
Nadia gasped slightly. The smoke which had formed around the tip of her staff was seen dissolving in the wind.

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Chapter 2: Cistercium Mater Nostra - Scene 2

"I really wish we wouldn't always be climbing mountains..."
Nadia complained somewhat insecurely as they were ascending the one whose direction they were pointed to. It was neither extraordinarily tall nor steep, but a rich and dense forest covered its side, hampering one's advance. Many relatively sizeable edges protruded from its face, occasionally breaking the green cover with their barren rocky sides. Over its siblings with whom it formed a small range the sun had begun to set and enchanted the treetops with a golden shine.
"This one isn't that high... And look, where're almost at the top."
The trees seemed to be clearing. Looking downwards one could see through their branches the valley, yet the top of the mountain was hidden from sight by a light carpet of green forms diverse in their shape but not their intense and vital colour.
"I admit I hope this is the right mountain though... I haven't really seen a castle or anything y-"
Abruptly Ruben ended his sentence and quickly seized hold of the arm of the girl with him, dragging her behind a broad tree silently urging her to keep her voice low.
"What did you see?", she whispered.
Then, from a few metres higher up, the sound of mighty footsteps sounded through the air up until now enriched by but the wind brushing up waves within the blooming crowns. Despite that all the creature could tread on was soft moss and a the undergrowth, they were loud and seemed as though there was a knight in heavy armour, with metal grinding at its kind. As it came even closer, the footsteps were overshadowed by an even more oppressive noise the two could not identify. It sounded numb and yet enormous, somewhat akin to some of what could be heard in a smithy.
"What... is that?"
Ruben was unable to bear his curiosity. With a bit of freight he peeked around the wooden trunk and was soon glared by the fiery sunlight which after seeping through the lively ceiling was reflected by a mighty metal armour.
"It's... some kind of knight."
"It is? Perhaps we could talk to him then..."
"No, let's... stay here. Something seems odd about him."
After a short while, the bulky armoured figure carrying a most mighty halberd, fully made of steel and bearing a tip more akin to an actual axe turned around and with all the accompanying rattling and metallic coughing wandered off into the density of nature, until the silence of the forest had swallowed any traces of its presence.
"That guy seems to be patrolling around here... Let's head for the top quickly, he somehow gave me the creeps."

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Chapter 2: Cistercium Mater Nostra - Scene 1

- Chapter 2: Cistercium Mater Nostra -

The boat docked at a small wooden pier from which a small rocky flight of stairs descended, leading to a small path between two rustic half-timber buildings. Nadia stepped onto the planks and stretched out, while Ruben tightly towed their boat to the pier. The sun had already passed its zenith and was about halfway back downwards. The two exited the small alley onto a small market square. It was a humble village, filled with but a few dozens of crudely arranged buildings ranging from the charming simplicity of black wooden bars crossing white spaces to a handful of entirely grey stone constructions, lacking in ornaments. Even the church was but a small and simple chapel in size.
"We should probably look for an inn or something like that.", Ruben announced as he started to explore the convoluted streets if they could be called that. "Tomorrow we'll see where we should head next."
A peasant crossed their path. A grown and sturdy man, carrying the weight of a bag of flour on his back.
"Sorry, could you tell us wh-"
He cut short his sentence upon receiving a most piercingly accusing glare from the serf.
"Err... We just want to know if there's an inn here."
"Go away, you're not welcome here."
After but this brief line, he vanished into one of the small alleyways and possibly somewhere into a building.
"...what a nice welcome."
"Uhm..."
A middle-aged peasant woman approached the two.
"You have to excuse him. In this village we're all a bit careful about strangers... If you still look for a place to stay for a night though, just head down this street and go around the first corner to the left, there is a small tavern there that has a few beds too."
She pointed past the stone town hall.
Nadia smiled.
"Thank you."
"Yeah, thanks a lot. But why are you this cautious about strangers...?"
"There's rumours about some strange things going on in the cloister on the mountain... Anyway, I have to go."
Ere the curiosity of the travellers could be, the female figure had already stepped out of their sight.

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Interlude: Catnap

- Interlude: Catnap -

The sun had neared its climax and its bright light melted the sleep from Ruben's eyelids. Stretching out his arms he let out a loud yawn and looked into the blue sky. Just that moment, the boat of theirs was passing beneath the branch of a tree standing at the river's side. All of a sudden, the boy was fully awake.
"Nadia, we have to..."
Too urgent seemed what bothered him to finish the sentence. He grabbed the tow of the boat and tied it to the hilt of his longsword, which he thereupon took and rammed into the soil at the shore. Immediately, he jumped off the nutshell and ran towards the plant which the two travellers had just sailed by.
"What is it?"
Nadia had stood up, startled, and chased after him, who had already climbed half of the trunk.
"Look!"
To the branch hanging over the stream clung a small figure. Nadia looked more closely. It was a young striped kitten, about to fall off into the water.
The frail magician stated the obvious: "It's about to fall!"
Her comrade had meanwhile reached the crown of the tree and tried to get closer to the animal in peril. Suddenly, the sound of wood snapping.
"No!"
The small cat fell, along with a part of the limb it was grasping. Ruben watched in terror; this turned into surprise as the boat of the two was suddenly darting upstream, its sail inverted as though a giant had blown into it from the front, having torn out his weapon. Just ere the kitten could be devoured by the river, Nadia's cloak which she had discarded earlier due to the warmth brought upon her by the sunny morning buffered its fall, shoved below its rapidly descending body along with the even more rapidly moving vehicle, which soon came to a halt a bit further away from the scene. Ruben's eyes were widely open in disbelief as he turned to his friend. She in turn panted heavily, staff in hand.
"What... just happened?"
"I quickly cast a wind spell to propel the ship backwards."
She let out the words along with her nervous breathe.
"...wow."

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Chapter 1: The Nocturnal Murderer - Scene 9

"Open the door immediately."
A harsh voice yelled from outside the gaol, waking up the peacefully sleeping guard and the two friends and violating the peace of the dawn. The sky had grown a pale blend between faint blue and yellow, but the sun had not yet risen.
"Who's there?"
"His Most Reverend Excellency bishop Adrian wishes to see the prisoner!"
Martin's eyes filled with shock, and Nadia's too became frightened upon seeing the guard's expression.
"I'm... I'm coming!"
He hastily grabbed the keys, pulled Nadia out of the cell and closed it. Urged on by the incessant knocking on the door he hurried up the stairs and unlocked the entrance of the prison. In front of him stood a commander of the city guard accompanied by another soldier, and behind them in his full elaborate dress stood the bishop.
"Your Excellency, what is it th-"
"I wish to speak the boy, without any further ado."
"Of course, Your Excellency."
Shoving his bloated figure past the armoured men he descended down into the dungeon. Both Nadia and Ruben had stood up, the former with a worried and the latter with a determined and ready expression on their faces.
"Are you the one who got me locked up?"
"Indeed I am, young boy."
A cramped smile was forced onto the wrinkled face of the cleric as he clapped together his hands in a fake burst of enthusiasm.
"But oh, what mistake this was. Just now an informant informed me that indeed it had been proven that you freed Ketherbrühl of the murderer haunting it. I apologise for having wrongly imprisoned you in this filthy dungeon assuming you to be but a liar."
He reached for the keys on the table and opened the door behind Ruben stood.
"You are free again, young traveller."
"Uhm... thanks?"
"I assume you will part from this city now? Surely these inconveniences have tainted your image of us, and I cannot blame you for that."
"Well, we did plan to do that soon. I might still have to say goodb-"
Ere he could end his sentence, the bishop had forcefully pushed Ruben's sheathed sword into his hand and faced him closely; the fake smile had made way for an expression of genuine hatred, repeated many times in the laps of his visage.
"Listen to me, little brat. You should be grateful that I let you out like this and did not condemn your sorry self to the breaking wheel. If you value your saftey I dare you not to immediately leave Ketherbrühl and to ever return. Did you understand me?!"
Ruben, a bit startled but not intimidated, nodded in response.
"Fine, now that this is settled... There is a boat waiting down at the pier which will bring you and your companion downstream or wherever. Take it, and begone."
"Nadia, come on, we're leaving."
"Oh, thank god..."
The other guard who had escorted Adrian asked the two to follow him, and within a few seconds' notice they had left the chilling prison.

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Chapter 1: The Nocturnal Murderer - Scene 8

Through the bars of the small window the moonlight fell onto the cold stone flooring of the prison cell and lit the ripples the incessantly falling droplets of water leaking through the ceiling caused upon merging with the small puddle having formed on the ground. Ruben was uncomfortably sitting on the hard bench in his small room, lightly asleep. Outside, in the shine of a candle placed on the table slept Nadia on a wooden chair, huddled in her cloak to ward of the chilling air within the old walls. A guard struggled to stay awake, having shifted most of his weight onto his halberd. Suddenly his awareness returned upon hearing the creaking of a door. Following the footsteps descending the stairs, Eduart Bahans appeared in the flickering light of the small flame illuminating the room.
"No need to raise your weapon, Martin, it is but me."
"Eduart?"
The guard calmed down again as the burgher walked past him, who thereupon took out a set of keys and used one of them to open the rusty iron bars keeping Ruben sealed away. He greeted the boy ending his uncomfortable rest, as well as Nadia's.
"Let me be the harbinger of great news, Ruben!"
"Huh... what?"
"We sent someone to visit Oblatia's tower and your claims were proven correct; indeed she was dead, and her valet also confirmed that she had been the vampire consuming the lives of our citizens."
"Gerhardt? How was he?"
"Oh, I was told he was of course in a rather dark mood. Neither overly angry nor depressed, but apparently his behaviour appeared almost painfully formal and from the report of our messenger his emotions seemed to be devouring him on the inside... but let us no waste our breath on such things."

Both young travellers had gotten onto their feet by now, and Nadia had joined the two in their conversion.
"The bishop may hold the jurisdiction in this city, but he is by no means almighty. The city council still has most of the say in Ketherbrühl's matters and he would not dare to go against their decisions; neither against widespread popular opinion."
"And how does this relate to us...?"
"He might have been able to lock you up here, but worry not, our young hero. We have spread the news of your deed wide enough for your death to become one of a martyr. His Excellency cannot want this as it would severely weaken his position. In addition his recent growth in power was mostly induced by the insecurity of the people which he utilised to exert pressure on the council by influencing the citizens. But now that these murders will have an end his might is going to decline again, and with the word of what you have done having already become more widespread he will not be able to push for your punishment any more."
"I guess I'm glad to hear that."
"But, how long will Ruben still be locked up in here?"
"Not much longer I can assure you. Ketherbrühl's inhabitants will desire to see their saviour, and he cannot oppose their will for long. The council will also meet again right in the morning and discuss the matter. I would not be surprised if you will have left this filthy cellar ere the sun is already on its way downwards again."
"Phew, that's good to hear."
"Should you need anything, ask Martin here. He is a loyal friend of ours and is not going to deny you a wish should you desire for example a proper meal or even a short walk outside, as long as nobody notices."
The guard put on a friendly smile and nodded into Ruben's direction.
"Thanks a lot."
"Ah, it is nothing. You have helped us more already than we can do for you. I assume you will still honour us with your presence for a while? A lot of our burghers burn to meet their and our hero in person..."
"Of c..."
The warrior's voice grew quiet as he saw into Nadia's face. Her eyes returned his gaze bearing an almost desperately worried mood.
"Well, I am sure we can count on you. I will depart for now, may you two have a good night."
Leaving the door of the cell widely open, Eduart parted from the two adolescents and after still talking to the guard a little exited the prison.

"What's the matter, Nadia?"
He laid his hands onto her shoulders.
"Oh, Ruben... I feel bad about all of this. They're just utilising you for their petty power struggle with that bishop."
"I know... But we can't just leave here now either."
"They're just going to show you around to bathe in your fame. Is that really worth it?"
"You're right. If just because I couldn't bear to see you this unhappy here! Tomorrow I'll thank him for everything but also make it clear that we won't stay here any longer once I'm out of jail."
"Thank you..."
"Besides, our job here is done anyway. The people of the city are safe, so there's nothing left to keep us in Ketherbrühl! I don't really want to get caught up in all this intrigue stuff either."

Chapter 1: The Nocturnal Murderer - Scene 7

"Nadia, we're at the bottom again."
"What?! Oh, I... sorry!"
At the bottom of the rocky cliff whose top could not be seen from its feet stood Ruben, on his back carrying the frail girl who had clawed her hands into his shoulders and dug her face into his spine. She carefully opened her tightly shut eyes to see the ground just decimetres below her feet, and not the endless width of the sky but a light layer of leaves above her head. Insecurely, she climbed off her companion and tumbled onto the grassy soil.
It was a silent and uneventful walk back to the city, through the outer reaches of a small forest and past the fields that lay outside. Within the red walls, the streets were brimming with life. The pair, exhausted from the restless night and the long way back, settled down at the tavern where they had been the day before.
Nadia stared into her glass of milk, her eyes and mind losing themselves in the impenetrable white liquid.
"Hey... I know you're still sad about Camilla, she really was nice for a vampire. But you should rather be glad, now the people of this city don't have to fear nightly murders any more."
At the crowded neighbouring table, a man had overheard his words and stood up.
"What did you just say, boy?"
"Lady Oblatia was the vampire who killed people at night, but she's... gone now, and won't be able to harm any of you in the future.", Ruben replied with a tone in which insecurity and pride came together in dissonance. The man seized his shoulders.
"You're lying to me, aren't you? Or are you telling the truth?!"
"My friend here is my witness."
He gazed at her, who in turn lowered her head yet nodded nonetheless. As he saw neither the upset person nor the others that had gathered around them were yet satisfied, he recalled something and reached into his bag.
"Well, as proof I could show you this wooden stake. She had a lot of them in her tower..."
"What does a piece of wood prove, and why should we believe any word from a young stranger's mouth? If what you say was true however..."
"If that witch was dead it would be better for us all!", a random voice from out of the small crowd. One which was however instantly silenced by the still frail but unusually determined and enthusiastic one of a certain robed magician girl.
"Lady Oblatia was a noble and kind woman! What gives you the right to badmouth her like that?"
The man who had initially pressured Ruben and who had let go of him and calmed down by now tried to soothe her injured temper.
"Calm down, young girl. Almost none of us has ever actually met her, she never visits Ketherbrühl... At least during the day. All we ever get to see of her is her valet."
Ruben fell into his word. "Gerhardt?"
"Yes, that was his name. ...wait a moment, does that mean you have met him?"
"That's what we've been saying all the time!"
The man turned to another, and spoke in a lowered voice.
"They're strangers, I've never seen them around here before. There's no way they could know his name, unknown to most of the people here even..."
"I see your point. Indeed, he has not been down here since last week, so neither could they have talked to him here in the city."
"Does that mean they really did take care of the murderer?"
"...if so, it would be highly beneficial for our interests. Did these killings stop, the bishop's swollen words and strengthened influence would lose their meaning and we might finally be able to take back what is ours."
"Isn't that what we always wanted!"
"I say, we shall seize upon this opportunity. Inform the heads of the other guilds, meanwhile I will take over this situation for now."
"Right."
He went off. The one he spoke to stepped out of the crowd. It was a middle-aged man, well-fed and dressed in clothing not gorgeous but certainly finer than what was common.
"Praise be to thee, young hero! If what you tell us is indeed the truth, then this whole city is free of an enormous burden to its hearts. But let me introduce myself; I am Eduart Bahans, leader of Ketherbrühl's bakers' guild."
His voice grew louder and more enthusiastic, and ere Ruben noticed it he had led him out of the door and onto the market.
"You have done the city a great favour; it would only be just if it was known, would it not?"

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