The Last Paladin: Ep 2: A Lost Princess and A Witch
Act 2: The Shrine
They reached an archway and stopped. Miriam didn’t know how long they had been living shadows. The time was hard to gauge. As she waited, something changed. She began to reacquire weight and form. Color bled back into her vision. And then she was standing in front of the stone archway, beside Eve and Balthasar.
“Here we are. Safe and sound.”
“How did you do that?” Miriam asked. “You did the same thing when you freed us. That’s not a paladin power.”
“I’m not a paladin anymore. Remember? Now quick. Through the gate.”
He grew blackened claws again and sliced a tear in the air once more. A murky image of a church interior swam into view in the open archway.
“You’re deflecting.”
“And you’re wasting time. The Darkways aren’t safe. Remember?”
Miriam glared at him. Eve stepped through the portal. Miriam shook her head and followed. Balthasar came through last, the portal closing behind him. Miriam was about to continue pressing Balthasar for answers, when Eve put a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, that’s not good,” Eve said.
Miriam looked out at the church and the shrine. She saw a sea of crimson mold shot through with gold fungus. Pillars lined the halls. And the ceiling hung, half collapsed above their heads.
“I thought you said that this shrine was clean?” Miriam asked.
Balthasar stared. “It was. I was here a few weeks ago. This must be brand new.”
The sound of metal on stone rang out to their left, and the three of them turned. A young woman in blue with long brown hair Burst into view. She held an enormous curved sword and was fighting a haggard looking woman with wild black hair. Swarms of rats poured over the ground. The rats circled the girl with the sword, as she swung her blade in wild arcs, trying to keep the rats back. Her tactics weren’t working and the rats were crawling up her leather pants.
“Who is this?” Eve asked.
“I don’t know. But she looks familiar.” Balthasar said.
“Which one?” Miriam asked.
“Not the witch.” Balthasar said.
Balthasar threw his cloak aside revealing his white tabard and plate armor. He flourished with his long sword. He grimaced as the room exploded with sunlight and drove the rats backward away from the girl. Balthasar put himself between the girl with the sword and one with the wild hair. The women with the wild hair held a pole of some sort, a spear or a staff. Miriam couldn’t tell from looking at it.
Eve and Miriam crowded close to Balthasar and his rat proof light. Miriam noticed that Balthasar’s sword arm was already starting to smoke. This had happened last time, as though summoning the holy light burned him. The girl with the sword looked beat up. Rat bites covered her exposed skin, all the way up to and including her face.
“Who are you?” She asked, as she struggled to her feet.
“We’re the heroes.” Eve answered.
The girl shook her head, “Nice try. But that’s my job.”
And, gathering herself, she charged the woman with the wild hair.
“What do you think you’re going to prove? I’ve already corrupted the shrine.” The woman with the wild hair said.
“I can kill a witch.” The girl with the sword said.
The girl with the sword waded through the sea of rats until she was within range of the other woman. Miriam stared at the girl she pushed forward. Miriam couldn’t imagine the courage required to wade through an army of rats. She felt unworthy. She felt helpless.
The girl swung her sword at the witch. The witch parried with her spear. But the parry threw her off balance, and the girl pressed forward.
“She’s good.” Balthasar commented. “She’s better with a sword than I am.”
“That’s a katana isn’t it?” Eve asked. “What’s she doing with a Japanese sword?”
“It’s a no-dachi, not a katana. And what’s a Japan?”
“Less talking. More helping.” Miriam said. She hefted a big rock from the ground and threw it. The rock crashed to the ground behind the girl with the sword, crushing several rats.
The witch pointed, and the rats rushed back around the girl. The girl did her best to hold off the rats. But her sword was too big to use easily in the enclosed space of the shrine. And it definitely wasn’t made to defend her against hordes of rats.
“Eve. You’re up.” Balthasar said. “And hurry. I can only hold this up for so long.”
“Of course.” Eve said. “Legendary paladin Balthasar is here. But it’s up to me. I don’t know anything about anything yet. But it’s my job. Of course it is.”
Eve raised her right hand about her head and intoned: “Michael Archangel! Aid me in battle!”
Eve erupted in flame and rings of fire wrapped around her and she rose into the air. The flames drove back the rats. The winds picked up and the rats scrambled as the winds buffeted them about. Eve glowed white hot to look at and the witch shielded her eyes. Miriam noted that Eve didn’t scream this time, as her body changed and grew inside the wheels of fire. She had screamed the first time she transformed, but not this time.
The light faded to a manageable level, and Eve stood transformed. No longer a fifteen year old girl, she was a twenty year old titan of a woman. She was clad in a white dress and gilded plate armor. Wings of fire radiated out from her back and lit the room.
Balthasar sighed and lowered his sword. The room was now lit only by Eve’s burning wings.
Meanwhile, the rats had swarmed all over the girl with the sword. Miriam couldn’t see the girl at all. Her sword protruded from the mass of rats that lay upon her.
“Help her!” Miriam yelled.
Eve nodded and floated forward. Eve flexed and swept a burning wing across the mass of rats and drove the beasts from the girl. The girl crumpled, and Eve caught her.
“No worries. I’ve got you.” Eve said, and she bundled the girl up into a bridal carry.
“Who are you?” The girl asked.
“My name’s Eve,” Eve retreated back towards Balthasar as she spoke. “I’m a paladin. I’m here to help.”
“Thank you.” The girl said, blushing. “I’m Dinah. Dinah Ray.”
Eve reached Balthasar and Miriam and hovered in place. She set Dinah on the ground. Dinah didn’t stand back up this time. Instead she crouched, her sword held in a defensive posture.
Eve looked around, “There are no good clubs in here. I’m going to have to fight barehanded.”
Dinah looked up, wide eyed. “You’re a paladin and you don’t have a holy weapon.”
“Michael didn’t give me one when I accepted his offer.” Eve shrugged and then she shook her head. “Yes. I know I still have my hands.”
“Who are you talking to?” Miriam asked.
“Michael.” Eve answered.
“Who are you two?” Dinah asked.
“He’s Balthasar. I’m Miriam. He’s a former paladin. I’m the tag along.”
“He’s the Balthasar?” Dinah said. She stared at Balthasar. Balthasar grinned and gave a little wave.
Balthasar looked at his sword. “I think I’ve done as much as I can with my sword. You want to use that Eve?”
“I don’t know how to use a sword.” Eve said.
“You hit things with it.” Balthasar answered.
“You are not going to stop me.” The witch said. “I don’t care who you are. Master Blackheart will not be happy if I fail. So you must all die.”
“Be careful. She’s a nut. But she’s powerful.” Dinah said.
“And she has the advantage here.” Balthasar said. “She’s had time to corrupt the shrine. Which means she can use it to draw power the way a paladin would from a clean shrine.”
Eve took Balthasar’s long sword, and flames spread up the blade. “I’ll keep that in mind as I’m beating her to death.”
Eve flew forward. As she did, the witch jammed her spear into the ground. The red mold shot up the spear and along the witch’s arms.
“She’s using the shrine! Watch out!” Balthasar called.
The witch glowered red and then the rats began to grow in size. Soon they were the size of small dogs. Then they were the size of wolves. And then they attacked. They filled the room. And they battered against Eve. Eve swung Balthasar’s sword but the rats crashed against her like a tidal wave and dragged her down to the ground.
“She’s using the sword like she’s chopping wood,” Dinah said.
“Yes. That’s better than I was expecting.” Balthasar said.
Balthasar handed Miriam his kite shield. And Miriam watched as Balthasar’s arms grew black and sprouted claws once more.
“That’s Balthasar?” Dinah asked.
“Yeah.” Miriam said. “He won’t tell us what happened when he fell. But it was bad.”
Balthasar tore through the rats with his claws and freed Eve. But there were too many rats. Together they were able to hold their ground. But the witch kept raising more rats to wolf size and replacing the ones that Eve and Balthasar cut down.
“There is no way that we’re beating her while she’s drawing on the shine. If we had another paladin, but we don’t.” Miriam said.
Dinah watched from her crouch, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry mother. I’m sorry.” She whispered.
“What are you talking about?” Miriam asked.
“I was raised to stop this. To stop the empire. I was raised to be the hero. But I’m not. She’s right there. Michael picked her, not me. I’m nothing. I’m a failure who can’t fight a few rats.”
“That’s more than a few rats.” Miriam pointed out. She watched the rats, waiting to see if any would notice her and Dinah and try to make a move. But the witch seemed focused on Eve and Balthasar. Maybe the witch didn’t consider them a threat at the moment. Miriam was both relieved and insulted. Miriam considered her options. She didn’t know what to do. But she needed to do something.
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