Needa’s clothes were a bit tight around the chest, but otherwise fit well enough. Fortunately, a princess always brought her make-up kit with her wherever she went. She caked on the rouge until she had a pale gnomish complexion.

It was a shame to cover such beautiful green skin, but she reminded herself that she was on a quest, not looking for suitors at a mating dance.

All Keiko needed was the change in outfit. There were already plenty of humans fighting for good; for some reason humans could never seem to decide if they wanted to be evil or good. She just put a little dye in her hair to darken it and make her seem like less of a grandmother.

Kev used a communion spell to put Needa in contact with her father so she could report their progress. Papa said he was proud of her work so far, and told her to expect his attack to come at sunset.

This was the most important mission she had ever been entrusted with, and Needa’s heart was starting to pound with nerves as she signed off the call with her father. She must prove herself, there could be absolutely no slip-ups.

They went to the edge of the forest, beyond which Legion camp was settled. Needa and Keiko went on alone from there, and left Freeda’s group with instructions to look for some transportation as they waited for night to fall.

The two of them snuck into the camp during the noon watch change.

So far, things were going even better than Needa had hoped. They looked right, and the crusaders never seemed to talk to one another, so no one ever came near enough to examine them closely. When she asked if that was normal, Keiko explained it was to prevent accidental ideological deviation.

This was Needa’s first time in a good-aligned camp, and she was disgusted by how clean and orderly everything was. Dueling and killing was constant, but the moment the fighting was over, servants arrived to clear away the wreckage. Keiko explained that the Argent Legions kept those not physically fit to fight as indentured servants and forced them to do all the menial labor, it was them that kept everything so tidy.

Besides the private feuds, officers also ordered regular floggings and executions among their soldiers to maintain morale.

“Alright, where do you think they’re holding Shinji and the others?” Needa whispered, while they had a moment unobserved.

“The newly press-ganged recruits who haven’t signed military contracts yet are probably being held in the brig. All crusader camps are required by law to only be laid out in one of a few standardized orientations. This looks like a B-3 to me. If you follow, I should be able to take us right to them.”

“You there!” Both of them straightened up at once, when they heard a booming voice behind them. “What are you two whispering about!” A big human in an officer’s uniform approached them.

“We were just discussing how strongly we approved of our righteous cause!” Needa answered quickly.

“Really?” The officer reached for his sword, but he also sounded genuinely surprised.

Keiko gave Needa a look, then replied, “Yes, really. Our honesty is absolute.”

The officer appeared totally flummoxed by something. “And you achieved total conformity on every issue?”

By this time Needa could tell that they were obviously speaking some legalese-dogmatic goodish code-talk. So, she stood back and let Keiko take the lead. That was why she brought the nun along in the first place.

“Yes, my battle-sister and I have miraculously achieved total synchronicity in our beliefs to date. Although we remain watchful and ready to exterminate each other at the slightest sign of failure, as proscribed in the Puritanical Scriptures.”

“Well…” The officer pondered. “…carry on. But don’t allow dutiful conformity to become tolerant complacency. We must constantly be purifying not only others, but ourselves as well.”

“Yes sir!” Keiko saluted, and Needa did the same.

Once the officer was gone, Keiko sighed and wiped the sweat off her brow. “That was a close one. Conversations in the Argent Legion can only follow very well-trod parameters. The slightest deviation is an invitation to violence. Maybe you had better let me do any talking form now on.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“Maybe I’d better,” Needa agreed. “Man, the good guys are really uptight.”

Keiko led them to a set of cages in an open space, with only a few pillories, gallows, and a guillotine nearby. Inside the cages were human men and women of the right age to be the adults and young people of the village.

“It’s them,” Keiko declared.

“Well, we’ve found them. Now, how do we get them out of there? I’m not as good with them as Leeda, but I brought a set of bone lockpicks that I can open the cages with. This big open area around them could be a problem though. Even with Papa keeping them distract- hey, granny! You’re not going deaf, are you?” Needa noticed the old woman’s attention had wandered.

“There he is! Shinji!” She pointed to a tall and handsome half-elf, with dark hair and chiseled face. His posture was proud and statuesque. Somehow Needa could sense that his eyes were a beautiful piercing blue, even though he was much too far away for her to see them.

Overall, he left a very sinister impression that Needa was fond of at once. “That is your grandson?”

“Yes, what about him?”

“Humana, humana! He’s gorgeous!”

“Yes… well… perhaps I can set the two of you up together after we rescue him.”

“Va- va- voom! He’s a dreamboat!”

“He does rather remind me of his grandfather at that age.”

“I’d sure like to stick my hand in that cookie jar!”

“Alright, young lady! There’s no need to be so... forward! He is still my grandson, remember. Be respectful. Let’s just keep our focus on the rescue, and worry about who gets to eat who’s cookies once we’re all safe back at the caves.”

“Right.” Needa refocused herself. “I want to make sure he’s still in pristine condition when I get him back to my cave. At least until I can get my own mitts on him, heh!”

A regal figure arrived, flanked by an honor guard of priests and rangers. She was tall and elegant, and wore a spotless pearl white dress, but her features were very severe and pious. Something about her was rather familiar, but Needa couldn’t quite put her finger on what.

All humans sort of looked the same to her.

Needa noticed Keiko freeze up the moment she saw the aristocratic lady, then quickly pull them into cover.

“Who is that?” Needa asked.

“The Viscountess,” Keiko replied. For the first time, Needa heard real fear in the nun’s voice.

“I’d like to get my mitts on that one too, but in a less friendly way.” Needa cracked her knuckles.

“We can’t risk the Viscountess seeing us!” Keiko’s voice was almost panicky.

“Why has this Viscountess got you so spooked? Don’t you want revenge for what she did to your daughter?”

“I… can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” Needa poked her head out, and saw that the Viscountess ordered Shinji removed from the cage he was held in. “She better not hurt my new boyfriend. I’ll thrash her if she so much as touches him. Why is she separating Shinji from the others?”

“I can’t tell you…”

“Listen, I’m your horde-commander and your princess. If there’s something bothering you, then I want you to be able to open up and confide in me. It’s important that everyone in an evil community feel safe to communicate with one another.”

The Viscountess started to leave with Shinji, and Keiko moved to follow them. “I need to do this on my own. Please trust me, Princess Needa. You look after the others; I’ll rescue Shinji myself and meet up with you back where we left Freeda and the others.”

“Keiko, wait-!” But the nun had already run off after the them.

Needa wanted to follow, but she also had all the other refugee’s grandchildren to think of, still locked up in those cages. Now she was the only one they could rely on. If she could even manage to get them out of those cages in the first place.

The goblin princess began to scheme.

Keiko hated disobeying orders. She hated leaving Princess Needa in a lurch like that even more. But something about seeing her again was affecting the nun's head.

There was no time for self-doubt though. It was already getting late in the afternoon, and Chieftain Gimbur would attack soon.

They took Shinji all the way to the gilded tent of the camp’s legion headquarters, then led him inside.

The Viscountess paused a moment before following.

What was it she was waiting for? Could she sense Keiko’s presence?

Everything about this reeked of a trap.

This was no time to succumb to paranoia. After all, she had no other choice but to press forwards. Keiko plucked up her courage and approached the command tent, keeping her bench at the ready.

The interior was cloaked by a veil of light, she could see nothing until she passed through the entryway.

The moment that she stepped foot over the threshold, the nun knew something had gone horribly wrong. At once, a forcefield spell sealed the way behind her. All around her were armed crusaders, with zealous fervor in their eyes.

Keiko couldn’t have cared less about them.

She was transfixed by the woman, sitting on a golden throne, with Shinji beside her.

“There you are.” The Viscountess’ voice was full of cold disdain. “I was wondering when you’d finally show yourself. I knew bringing Shinji here would eventually draw you out. I felt your foul aura creeping about the moment you entered my camp. How dare you show your face among the faithful once more!?”

“I came for my grandson.”

“What right do you have to him?”

“He’s my family.”

The Viscountess stood. “I am his family.”

“You’ve been no family to either of us, since you abandoned us for the Argent Legion.” It needed to be said, but it broke Keiko’s heart all the same.

“Your heart is tainted by evil. It’s simply too late, you must be destroyed to restore our family honor. But I won’t let you drag my son to that same fate, mother! You should have stayed away from us. Far away.”

“Perhaps you’re right.”

The Viscountess turned to her soldiers. “Disable her if you can, I’d like to finish her myself. Kill her if you must.”

The honor guard started to close in on the nun.

“Or perhaps I’ve already stayed away for too long.” Keiko let loose the bench.