The early morning sun smiled upon Croix as he knelt in reverence before the tombstone in front of him, basking in the graveyard's silence. As he laid on his knee, his heavy greaves crushing the dead grass beneath, Croix clasped his hands in prayer.

"Goddess Akina, I pray to thee: Grant her the eternal rest thou hast promised, and aid me in serving thee and fulfilling mine own purpose," Croix prayed, his eyes closed and teary. After a brief moment of silence, the templar took one last look at the name on the tombstone and picked himself up. Securing his broadsword in its sheath and checking the shield on his back, Croix concluded that he was ready to leave and began to walk back to the church, his eyes still wet from his daily ritual.

As Croix neared his home, he marveled at the glorious architecture of the church. It was a grand building, supported by lavishly engraved pillars and studded with beautiful stained glass windows. The structure was alive and kicking, with chatter filling the air and people going in and out, creating a familiar hustle and bustle. Smiling and forgetting his woes, Croix stepped in and headed for the mission board.

Doing some service work'll take my mind off of it, as always, Croix thought to himself as he stared up at the massive notice board that contained all of the mission information. However, there weren't many missions up for grabs - a lot of them were easy, too. The gruff templar was about to turn away in disappointment when he noticed a mission that caught his eye.

A notice to find a farmer's child. The mission had no reward listed, and was set in by the mother. Seeing such a thing touched Croix's heart - who would take on a mission with no reward?

I could just walk away, but...That wouldn't please Akina or allow her to rest in peace, either, Croix contemplated as he signed his acceptance of the mission. Right after he completed the form, he heard some voices behind him and turned over to face them.

"I don't know so much as noble father, I simply do what has to be done," an imposing man in black armor said to a monk. Croix smiled, recognizing the voice and noting the similar paper in the black knight's hands.

"Sir Erik The Noble! Pleasure to see you undertake such a mission," Croix said, waving one heavily armored hand towards the familiar warrior. Croix knew the man by name, since Erik often helped the church out by undertaking missions and serving valiantly.