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The door to the temple swung open. Aknier brushed past Tristen, a little surprised to see him there. He immediately bowed before Father Orison, deeply.

“Father, I have returned.”

“I am relieved, my child. Your sudden disappearance has been most troubling. What came to pass?”

“After the skirmish with the undead, we explored the forest to seek out the cause of the strange fog. As it happened, it was merely a draw for a trap set by Laviege.”

“The goddess of chaos and darkness, here?” Father Orison asked inquisitively, a hint of alarm in his voice.

“It seems she was ‘impressed’ with the recent events that surrounded us, and wanted to test our abilities in her personal realm.”

“And why was that?”

Aknier hesitated for a moment. “I…I’m not really sure. Perhaps she thought she could make followers of us. She offered us gifts when we reached the end of her maze.”

“Gifts?” Father Orison eyed Aknier for a moment. “Did you refuse?”

“Yes we did.”

“Then what is that in your pocket?”

Aknier was puzzled for a moment and then suddenly remembered. He pulled out a gem from his pocket. “Riches that were taken from the body of a slain Mindflayer. I brought this one to be donated to the temple.”

Father Orison examined the gem in Aknier’s hands, then motioned for one of the initiates to take the gem. “You are sure that you refused her ‘gifts’?”

Aknier became irritated. “Of course, as I have told you! Why do you treat me like a suspect?!”

Tension formed in the room. Aknier and Orison seemed on opposing ends, and Aknier felt as though he had been in this situation before, sometime long ago…

“You know as well as I do what Laviege’s purpose is. And,” Father Orision added while pointing his staff at Aknier’s pointed hat, “who she caters to.”

“I did not realize that in my years of faithful and undaunted service I could be so easily swayed.” There was a hint of sarcasm in Aknier’s voice.

“Alain also had many years of faithful and undaunted ser-”

“Do not compare me to him!” Aknier interrupted.

Father Orison scoffed a bit. “Even he did not deal in the same ‘powers’ you do. Yet he went irreversibly astray. Do you understand my concern?”

Begrudgingly, Aknier agreed. “…Yes I do.”

“Further more, your actions in general are questionable. Not only your practice, but your behavior…we are not warriors, you understand.”

“I know this too. You realize that I do not seek conflict, I merely do not back away when it becomes inevitable.”

“With conflict comes suffering, that is against the principle teaching of Mulinel. What does one need to meet conflict but power? The practice of magic fills such a need quickly. Laviege offered it to you. Tell me you were not tempted.”

“What does it matter if I refused the gifts in the end? She never really told us anything of the gifts she would have offered, we never gave her a chance. Perhaps I might be curious to exactly what she had in mind but-”

“So you were tempted. Just as Alain was. That is the sign of weakness within the so-”

“With all due respect father, I believe this meeting is over.”

Aknier left in a hurry, and did not give either Father Orison…or himself…a chance to say something stupid.