As the morning came Blake used quick recovery, and cure conditions to keep himself awake even against his will. But as the six women wake up, they find the weapons of their captors and everything that wasn’t heavily damaged gathered up in a pile.

“Good morning all of you, I hope you rested well, Let's eat and head out ok,” Blake said as he walked over with two sets of leather armor. “I would like you all to pick a weapon, it's for self-defense, but I would like for you to be able to fight if I am occupied.” he walked over and sat down next to Jackie.

The group looks at Jackie, and she gives them a nod. As each reached over and claimed a weapon. But Blake noticed the weapons they each picked.

“I want to make sure you know that if you try to kill me, I will defend myself. And you all saw how I fight, I will escort you all to your homes and I found this,” He tosses a pouch into the pile of weapons. “It's likely all the money they took from your village, so if you don’t betray me, I will save your village” he said flatly and with an air of absolutism.

“Sorry, we are still unsure we can trust you, we have been through a lot you know, we are all widows now.” Jackie said after a few seconds.

“Yeah I understand, but my powers are guaranteed by my honor and justice, so if I say something, I’ll do it. So hold off until we reach your village.” Blake said as he pulled out a ration and started eating, “and then watch as I save your village with nearly nothing as a reward.”

They ended up eating quietly and departing a bit later, they all walked with Blake in the front with Jackie right behind him then the rest of the women in a cluster. Not that Blake cared that much so he kept walking, his eyes scanning the horizon, and halberd resting on his shoulder.

Their calm walk is cut about mid-day as a pack of five plane boars is seen blocking their path, the six women behind him slowly draw their weapons, but Blake sees something odd as all the boars had what looked like collars around their necks. And took a better look, spotting a pair of kobolds seemingly trying to guide the boars off the road and toward a forested area.

“Wait here, I'll go have a talk with them.” he says as he starts to move forward and away from the group, not getting ready completely for a fight but he does come to a stop with his feet in the right positions, so he can quickly bring the halberd to his defense. “Hello, are these your boars?” he asked out to the mass of creatures.

“Yiaap, yaeup, yerrp worrf, eaaop.” (What yes, wait why do I understand you, and why you see me) said the three-foot tall dog-like creature, Blake lamenting that the kobolds of this world are Asian ones and not the ones of eastern fiction.

“I am blessed by the gods so I can speak with anyone that has a language.” Blake says calmly and looks back over his shoulder at the six women, letting a sigh out. “Do you know if or when the boars will move?”

The kobold thinks about it, “Yeer yip, warf woer woof, boorck, jaup” (sorry we are missing friend who scares, they no listen without.) he says after a second.

“I see, if I scared them into moving would that work?” Blake asked candidly.

“Reavv yuaek jup, warf worf”(I guess we need to take to home, that way) the kobold says as he points westward.

Blake gave him a light smile and walked around the boars to get on the east side. Blake took a deep breath before yelling as loud as he could, the volume of his voice making the boars start running with the two kobolds guiding them with sticks, waving at the wranglers, he then waved the women over.

“Why did you just yell at them?” Jackie asked once she was in earshot.

“Oh those boars are domesticated by some kobolds, they were a man down so I agreed to scare the boars so they could guide them back to the forest” Blake said with a smile.

“What?” Jackie asked.

Blake gave her and the rest a confused look with a cocked brow.

“We didn’t see any kobolds…, maybe they were using magic…” one woman said, her red hair was past her shoulders and vibrant in the daytime light.

“I can see through illusions and lies thanks to a blessing from Jaud.” Blake said after a second, “So maybe that's why you couldn’t see them.” Blake shouldered his halberd again and looked at them. “I am a paladin of life, honor, and justice, so you have nothing to be scared about.”

Their walk for the rest of the day was calm, the women slowly warming up to him, which was a good thing as it made communication easier. The red-haired one from earlier is called Miann, there was also Phanna, a tall and rambunctious woman. Then you have the freckled and brown-haired Granite who was a bit shy, and her twin sister Jade who was the opposite. And finally, there is Hilda, the most athletic of the bunch. Apparently, she was working as a forester with the men of the village until a year ago when she got married. Their husbands were all killed in the goblin attack, they had only just buried them before they were forced into slavery.

But they seemed to get along with him now, which made this task of escorting them a lot easier. Their day went by uneventfully as they readied to camp just outside the forest, they looked around, and then Jackie walked up to Blake.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“You need to sleep, we can tell you didn’t sleep last night.” She said as she handed him her blanket. "We will keep watch tonight."

Blake looked around as the women had apparently set up shifts to keep watch already, but they all watched him to see if he would decline the invitation to rest first.

Blake gave her and the rest an appreciative smile, “Thanks, but only if you all agree to wake me even for something small, ok?” he said and unraveled the blanket.

As Blake started to unwind to rest, his mind drew no dreams but rather he relieved the last battle he had, his actions shifted as he took different paths, some leading to disaster, others saving some but not all, and in a few he even captured the slavers.

But his eyes snapped open, and he rose quickly startling Hilda and Phanna, and waking Miann who had at one point cuddled up beside him.

But Blake’s eyes watched the surroundings, halberd rising to a readied stance. "Whoever is out there I recommend you don't." Blake roared out into the night making the rest of their group stir at his voice.

There was a silence for a few seconds and as Hilda was about to speak a slow clapping started to sound as a tall man dressed in piecemeal leather armor stepped into the light of the campfire along with nine others.

"I am surprised you woke up, we had waited three hours for you to be asleep most of all," the man said, his voice ringing with indignation that matched his current expression, "tell you what, we don't need to kill each other, all you have to do is surrender anything of value and we will leave."

Blake’s eye told him that the man spoke truthfully, but Blake understood the words the man chose, "I am sorry, but I told these women I would escort them home safely, I will not allow you to enslave them." Blake said back with veiled anger.

"Well, well, someone is smart to catch on, but yeah I guess we will have to kill you after all" the man said as he lifted his sword at Blake. "Boys, don't hurt the women too much, I'll handle the hero."

Blake stared the man down, halberd pointing forward, stance shifted to intercept any attack "Group up and stay together. Holy Shield, Holy Blessing, Holy Ward." He said he willed the magic to empower and protect all the women too. "I'll be back" he rushed at the leader pike point forward in a vain stab at the man, and roared as he rushed past the man "Heavy guard!"

Blake ran off and into the darkness for a minute hearing shout of curses as the attackers were forced to follow him. The occasional flash of magic as ranged attacks hit around him, finally turning around as his eyes finish adjusting to the pale light of the night sky. His ten enemies closed in but slowed as they saw him ready to fight them, they themselves moved into a loose formation with their leader and five others formed a frontline while four in the back got ready with bows and one with a staff.

Their leader shifted a bit forward, "Aren't you considerate for not letting the women see your death, kind of you but foolish." He said with a bit too much resolve for Blake's liking.

[Well shit, my holy shield will only stop five attacks at a time if they all attack at the same moment they can overwhelm it, so I should start by reducing their numbers]

"I'll ask this once, do any of you own slaves or have sold people into slavery?" Blake shouted so they could all hear. His eyes watched them and found the truths he needed as each either shifted, sneered, sucked their teeth, or made some expression. Before raising his hand at them, "Hallow binding" he whispered, as chains trapped the caster and one of the archers in the back and two of the men in the front, pulling them to the ground, before rushing forward to try and end this quickly.

As Blake switched his grip to deliver an upward swing, their leader suddenly closed the distance and tried to cut down on him, only for the sword to bounce away, "Smite" Blake roared as he unleashed his attack, but their leader actually managed to block the blow and was thrown back towards his men landing on his back, but Blake didn't waste a moment and keep moving forward, veering to his left to attack the only man with a shield.

The man was larger than the rest holding an ax and readied his shield. But Blake brought the blade side straight to the middle of the man's guard while stepping to the man's shield side, the path set to cut into the man's chest "Smite!" He roared as the blade was about to make contact with the shield, making the weapon cut right past the hardwood and metal, and the arm underneath, destroying everything in the way of his strike, obliterating the man completely in a flash of light.

Blake spun his weapon around and faced the leader and the last two frontliners still standing, the leader watched him, "what the hell is that attack, what the hell is your class?" demanded their leader as he got to his feet.

"I am a Paladin of Jaud, Jal, and Geie. That was my smite, I can only use it against sinners and the evils of the world, which anyone still standing is." Blake said as he hefted his weapon ready again in a backward shoulder guard, "I am impressed you managed to block it, what is your class?"

The leader tightened his grip and sucked his teeth, "I am a sword master, I had to use my peerless guard to avoid dying." He shuffled forward, "Listen up, only if you have a defense skill or a way to get out of his range follow me in." He said as he ran in to attack.

Blake rushed to meet him, their weapons clashing as each tried to make an opening, but Blake did so to bait him, as he left himself open the leader took the bait, his blade switching direction in an instant but bouncing off the magic barrier again leaving him open as Blake thrust his weapon at him, but the leader used his skill again bringing his sword to perfectly block the thrust, his blade stopping Blake’s halberd a few inches short, but before the man could break away, Blake twisted the halberd, locking the man's weapon and pushed hard forcing the man back.

His two subordinates rushed forward but before they could reach him, Blake stomped down with his forward foot and lifted as hard as he could, ripping the leader's sword free and flying away, then brought the blade back down fast, "Smite!" Blake roared as the head cut into the leader's shoulder and devastated him in a brilliant flash of light, leaving only a crater where he once stood, causing the two attackers to rush in faster in an effort to avenge their leader. Their weapons bounced off the magic barrier along with an arrow, Blake felt the magic powering down for a few seconds, the next five seconds mattered as the archers were still active, but they were in shock for now.

He brought the blade into one man's chest then spun to knock the second man around with the pommel, impaling him as Blake whipped the pike into his back, lifting the man and forcing him to act as a shield against some incoming arrows. As the magic barrier came back, he kicked the man off and rushed forward at the two archers, they fired the last volley of arrows, Blake, already too close for them to fire again, drawing axes and getting ready to fight.

"Sun flare!" Blake said willing the spell to manifest behind him, making the two instinctually shield their eyes from the burst of light over his head, but Blake had his attack ready, and swang a wide and hard arc at both of their necks "power strike" he roared as the blade reached its first obstacle, accelerating the attack into a sudden completion, easily cutting through everything in the way of the blade, decapitating them both.

Blake looked around and locked eyes on the caster, their own eyes watching him with panicked fear as he walked over and held his halberd over his head, his stance readied to cut them down. "Will you swear to never have a slave or aid the acts of slavery, that is a sin to Gods’ plans?" Blake asked plainly, an emotionless expression on his face.

The caster’s hood rolled back showing a woman's face as they nodded with tears in their eyes, the truth of their answer clearing them of sin, for now.

Blake smiled at her and lowered his halberd and turned away to her companion. Asking the same, cutting the man down after an answer was given, then repeated the act with the two from the front line, then the chains that tied her down vanished as he started to walk back over his eyes watching her with intensity.

"I am sparing you because you have not committed a sin, and you swore not to," Blake towered over her his halberd still at the ready. "Who are you, what is your class, and where is your home?"

"I am Rinna Wildom, I am a battle mage, I come from the town of Greenwood" she stammered out still wrestling with her panicked fear and logical reason.

Blake saw no lies again as she spoke, “I am going to return to my charges, you are free to leave, go home, and devote yourself to no sin, and we shall never cross paths again.” He said and walked away and back to the woman he was escorting.