He had just finished fighting the Treant and was now heading towards the barn where his companion was. The striding paladin arrived just in time to prevent whatever was to come to Liliana.

The aberration twitched at the sight of him, cackling and rejoicing to itself. Disgusting, every action that the aberration did was disgusting.

His broadsword came down viscously on the flesh of the monster, cutting some tentacles that were originating from its ear. The tentacles wiggled as it squired green liquid everywhere.

Darwyn dashed and picked up his shield with a fluid motion, then jab the tip of his sword at the monster. The sword missed the aberration as it deflected the sword with its black tentacles, then it commanded its puppet to something.

They were heading to Liliana. The aberration knew that the paladin wanted to protect the girl. The puppets are coming in, one of his companions was nearing her deathbed, while the other endangered. His miracles are almost gone since he used a lot of them fighting the Treant, his body was weary due to the fighting he just did earlier.

But even so, there must be a way.

Darwyn was not the smartest of paladin that ever walked this world, but at least he has the brains to survive this long. He hurriedly cleaved the puppets that were making their way to Liliana, sending them flying as they rattled through the air.

Then with his huge arm, he grabbed the laying Shen, and with his low voice, he spoke. “Aversia, preserver of law. May your gentle hand touch this feeble one's soul. Heal.”

A warm light surrounded the dying Shen as it healed and closed the hole in her chest. That was it, it was his last miracle for today.

“Hold her.” He said as he let Liliana helped Shen stand. “Thank you... I thought that I'm a goner.” Shen muttered with a weak tone.

“I think so too. I didn't think that someone would live after that kind of attack.” Darwyn looked at the puppets that were circling the aberration as they dance eerily, their mouths cackling.

“You stay here,” Darwyn said, then stuck his shield into the ground violently, creating a wall of shield. “The tentacles can't penetrate through my shield, destroy any puppets that come near you.” He held his broadsword with both of his hands, then jumped towards the monster.

The once beautiful face of the aberration turned twisted as it let out a tentacle through its mouth. Darwyn stepped sidewards then sliced the tentacles with a quick motion, then continued running.

He was too big for the puppet to do anything to him alone, so one by one, they clung to him. He knew what they are intending to do, they wanted to slow him down with their weight.

He kicked and stumped the puppet along the way, then brandished his sword horizontally towards the monster. But his attack was evaded when it crouched—its body crumbled like it was boneless slime.

Darwyn retracted one of his hands as fast as he can, then grabbed something from his belt bag. A transparent liquid that sloshed as he opened it violently, then whisked it on the aberration.

The liquid burned the aberration as it let out a foul smoke. “I knew it. You're a direct descendant of an External God.”

According to the tales in the days of yore, there were beings that roamed this planet once. Taller than the giants and more fearsome than the dragons. Those beings were so powerful that the gods themselves stepped down in this plane just to kill them personally.

Some say that they came from a meteorite from another unknown dimension, some say that they are the manifestation of all evil and chaos itself. No one really knew what their origin was, but they know that they are real, and one of their descendants happened to be here at this abandoned village.

Darwyn poured the whole content of the bottle down to his sword. It was the water that was given by the gods to protect humanity if the External Gods somehow come back.

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Darwyn gave the aberration a hard kick before once again, hitting it with his sword. His attack made the monster wailed intensely, wrying its body and tentacles all together before slamming Darwyn with its vines.

He blocked it with his sword as he was pushed back by the force of impact. Belied his armor, Darwyn was swift to recover and get back to the monster, reversing the gripped on his sword, he impaled the aberration with all of his weight before twisting it as strong as he could.

Squish squish! Something liquid spilled out from its skin. Darwyn was hardly finished at all, he furthered down his sword then sliced the monster in half, spewing all of its blood.

The tentacles tried to lash itself and snarled his sword, the monster was planning to destroy it. Darwyn pulled out his sword noticing the scheme of the aberration.

The aberration didn't miss out the chance to knock Darwyn down to the ground, the tentacles then pierced Darwyn in the head... Or at least it tried.

As he was laying on the ground, Darwyn caught the tentacles and gripped it with his hand. With his other hand, he reached for his sword and sliced the tentacle and threw it away back at the aberration.

He rolled over the ground and stood up before thrashing the monster with his sword and kicks and sometimes, punches.

Their fight was messy and downright absurd, it was violent and each of their attacks was meant not only to deal damage but to kill one another.

Darwyn managed to grab the head of the monster, and with his sword, he sliced it back and forth as if he was wielding a saw.

The aberration struggled with all its might but Darwyn's strength and his grappling technique kept the aberration still, then finally, its head was cut off with a powerful chop at the neck.

He was holding the head by its hair, then dropped it on the ground before crushing it under his foot. Darwyn noticed that the aberration's body was still wriggling, then a scent of explosive power wafted to his nose.

The heavily injured paladin ran with all his might back to his companions. “What's the matter!?” Liliana worriedly asked.

“It's going to explode. We will run.” He said as he lifted Shen with his one hand while his other hand took the shield planted on the ground.

“O-okay!” Liliana earnestly nodded as she clutched her staff near to her chest. When they exited the barn, they could see that the wooden golem and the puppets are losing their lives one by one.

Darwyn scanned the place and was looking for a shelter that could shield them from the dawning explosion. His weary eyes darted to different houses, finding buildings with tough stone walls.

With the tip of her finger, pointed to something, then exclaimed “Darwyn! There!”

A house that was relatively new compared to the ones beside it. It was already morning, the sun was just about to come up, flaring its light through the bluish-violet sky.

Darwyn entered the house, inspected it, then confirmed it was safe as he lays Shen on the ground. Though the miracle had saved her life, it certainly didn't heal the mental fatigue of the battle.

Shen's ragged breath filled the silent room. Liliana looked at her with teary-eyes as she sat beside the powerless monk.

“Do you want water?”

“Y...yes...”

From her bag, she took a canteen and opened the stopper. Lifting the head of Shen, she brings closer the canteen to her lips and letting her drink.

Some droplets of water fell into the ground but the two pay no heed to it. Liliana sighed in relief before putting back the canteen into her bag, she then looked at Darwyn, who was peeking through the window.

“This place should be safe.”

“Are you really sure that it will explo—”

Boom!

Her sentence ended with a scream but the sound of the explosion override it. The bright orange light entering was blocked by the shield of Darwyn.

The room's temperature suddenly rose to the point that the party was having a hard time breathing.

Liliana was covering Shen's ear as she closed her eyes painfully.

After the explosion finally settled down, Darwyn lowered his shield and glanced outside.

He could spot a small crater at the place where the barn was used to be, most of the houses that surrounded them were either destroyed or barely hanging.

Everything was now... Eerily quiet...

Liliana helped Shen to stand up as they follow Darwyn outside.

The smell of sulfur and something burnt was all over the place, the sky seems clouded and—it was snowing.

Snowflakes were dropped by the heavens, dancing and swirling as they softly touched the tip of the nose of Liliana.

Darwyn opened his palm and caught a piece of ice. “Now we have to deal with the freezing cold.”

“Ha...Hahahahahaha!” Holding her stomach, Liliana laughed loudly, her voice reaching even at the end of the village.

Shen and Darwyn looked at her as if saying “Is something funny?”

To that, she shook her head. “It-it's just. It's so funny how Darwyn could remain the same even after all that!”

“He-he-he!” This time, it was Shen who was chuckling rather weakly.

“Indeed...” Shen said as she smiled at Liliana.

Liliana scratched the side of her eye and replied with an “Um!”

“Hhmm...” Darwyn grunted as he watched the two being intimate. He couldn't feel his body anymore, his knees would crumble if he was not careful enough.

There was no way he could let himself fall, not before his two companions who were at their lowest.

“We should leave this place as soon as possible. Or we will incur the wrath of the spirits.” Before turning his back, Darwyn sheathed his sword back to its scabbard.

“Spirits wrath?” Liliana asked curiously.

“Yes. After a big explosion, every living being that comes nears the crater will suffer all kinds of illness. We must be careful.”

“Huh?” That kinda sounds like radiation eh? Liliana thought to herself. Shen's arm was hung around Liliana's neck as they took one nimble step, then another, and another, until they figured out each other's rhythm.

“What about the horse?” Liliana said to Darwyn who was in front of them.

“We could think about that later, for now, we shall find a shelter.”

“I see,” Liliana said, her voice being overshadowed by the soft sound of falling snow. Suddenly, Darwyn stopped walking, then turned his helmet to the two. “Don't worry. We could think of what to do together after we secure a safe place to settle—.” His voice still low, it was more like grunting, but still, what he said next brought a smile on Liliana's face.

“—Together, we are, after all, a party.”