Daniel stood in the middle of a frozen battlefield, forever altered by the clash. Perhaps one day, life would return to this place. Or perhaps the wicked magic would spawn unthinkable creatures. Either way, his fight was over. Taking one last look at Velkir, he saw the unmistakable glint of a crystal.
No wicked magic reanimated Velkir’s body, but Daniel didn’t dare risk it. He picked up the crystal using the sleeve of his robe and dropped it into his pocket. As long as he didn’t directly touch it, no magic would spill out from the artefact. Besides, he didn’t trust either Morvina’s or Croelius’ worshippers with the item.
Presently, it was time to reunite with the rest of the warriors. Daniel walked along the ice, warily staring at the reflection of himself. Daniel’s slow walk turned into a frantic dash as he abruptly remembered Thomas’ perilous state.
Finding the Paladin was easy - all he had to do was look for a crater in the middle of the ice. Thomas’ condition was dire. His skin had turned blue, and blood pooled underneath his body, rapidly flowing from where the armour had not withstood the impact. The same steel armour that posed a massive problem now. Namely, Daniel was not strong enough to move Thomas.
“Raph! It’s over! Velkir has been slain!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. Raph was likely one of the only living beings within miles of the battlefield. Using his Reaper’s Eyes revealed it to be the truth.
When Raph arrived, he brought along three hidden guests. One of them slipped into the Paladin’s shadow, and it was at this time that Daniel also recalled the grudge between the two sides.
“You killed Velkir?” Raph asked, a mixture of amazement and concern painting his face.
“He was injured already. I just used the opportunity to ambush him,” Daniel said, waving away the praise. In reality, it was Thomas and the warriors who had done most of the work.
“Then it’s done. May Croelius take mercy on all the unfortunate victims of the twisted beast,” Raph said, muttering a quick prayer towards the sun.
“We can be concerned about that later. Helping Thomas comes first. It would be extremely bad if he died here,” Daniel said with a smile, glancing at the shadows.
“Take the legs. We need to get him out of the cold.”
Raph must have used some sort of skill because the frigid cold from earlier no longer chilled Daniel to his bones, but even the two of them struggled with the weight of the already massive man, made even heavier by thick plate mail. Their progress was slow - ice covered the forest for miles.
It took them more than an hour to reach somewhere with temperatures above freezing. Brief pauses served as a way to surround Thomas with flaming weapons and slowly warm him up. From time to time, Raph would use a healing skill on the Paladin, which would stem the bleeding but do nothing more to wake the man up.
According to Raph, there was only so much he could ask of Croelius before his soul began to burn and his mind became filled with thoughts of forever heading into the light.
“Here, take my sword and keep him warm. I’ll go get Leopold and Eldric - they’re better healers than me,” Raph briefly said before urgently sprinting off into the distance. Thomas’ condition looked stable, but then again, Daniel was no trained doctor.
The silence of the forest was interrupted by a figure materialising from the shadows. Dressed in all black, the night watcher wore a thick cloak of darkness that prevented Daniel from making out any discernible features.
“The expedition failed, and unfortunately, everyone who went on it died to the wolf. You would walk away under the safety of our shadows, abandoning your previous identity. That’s the story they would have been told across the city had you not intervened,” the mysterious figure spoke. There was something that prevented Daniel from remembering any details of their voice.
“For what reason do you spare this man? As an exorcist of Morvina, you should know of our grudge. Every Paladin is an important asset to the Citadel.”
The truth was that despite feeling relieved when May passed away, Daniel still regarded every life as precious. To murder the people he had spent the last few days with for a mere grudge between factions was ridiculous.
“They already know who I am. With the completion of the mission, I can get even closer to both the warriors and the Paladin. It’s an opportunity to gain the trust of the inner circle,” Daniel said, looking down at Thomas.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“You are wrong. They will try to kill you again and again, just like May did, all because you belong to a different god. However, as someone who has spoken to Morvina, I trust that you have her best intentions in mind. Be careful.”
With that, the figure faded back into his shadow, not leaving behind a single trace of its existence.
“I wouldn’t have had to rely on the dawn warriors had Tavian promised more watchers,” Daniel said, letting out a sigh. There was still so much he didn’t know about the two churches.
Half an hour later, Daniel saw three exhausted warriors come to a halt next to Thomas’ body. Eldric would occasionally burst out in maniacal laughter, but he no longer had to be restrained. Raph looked about ready to drop dead from exhaustion, which left the job of healing the Paladin to Leopold.
“May the warmth of Croelius spread through your exhausted body,” Leopold said, kneeling over Thomas. Light spilled from his fingers, taking on a more physical form as it wrapped the Paladin in a cocoon, suspending him in the air.
Over the course of the next hour, Thomas’ cheeks regained their rosy complexion. His skin, no longer frostbitten, glistened in the sunlight. The previous injuries faded away, not leaving behind a single scar.
It didn’t take long for the fact that they had lost half of their team to Velkir to sink in. Thus, the Paladin’s reawakening was met with muffled cheer from Leopold and Eldric, who must have been closer to May and the priests than he realised. Fortunately, Raph had passed out from exhaustion before he could explain the situation. Leaning against the tree, he was struggling with a nightmare.
“Where am I? Where’s the wolf!?” Thomas yelled, rapidly standing up, which caused the light cocoon to shatter and break. Seeing the Paladin fall and flop on the ground like a fish did wonders to temporarily lighten the mood.
“It’s over. I killed it,” Daniel said, watching as Thomas reached out to grab his weapons.
“You? Truly?” Thomas asked, grabbing Daniel’s shoulders, meeting his gaze with an intensity that burned like a flame. He immediately let go as he saw Daniel wince.
“One of my skills let me avoid the devastating spell. It only took a few more attacks for the crystal to shatter and break. Without any mana, Velkir had no more tricks up his sleeve.”
Thomas dropped his weapons, letting out a huge sigh of relief. Tension drained from his body momentarily.
“Good, good. It was a miracle from Croelius that you and Raph arrived when you did. Where’s May?” The Paladin asked, going silent as soon as he saw Leopold’s expression.
“We’ve lost too many,” Eldric said, trying his best not to giggle. The man’s mind was far from alright.
“That we have. I have to apologise to everyone. Had I heeded Daniel’s suggestion and brought two squads, this wouldn’t have happened,” Thomas said while hanging his head low, shame written all over his face. No words of consolation came from the two warriors.
“What happened with Fi- Lucius?” Daniel asked, hoping no one noticed the slip-up.
“He’s fine. The black magic healed his wounds, but wouldn’t let us anywhere near him. Shame that such a wicked man lived at the expense of his slaves,” Leopold answered, grimacing.
The conversation continued about the details of the fight. Eventually, the five figures sat in silence, recovering their skills. Thomas’ condition was far from perfect, but the healing magic worked perfectly. In another hour, he was back on his feet. Although he had lost some of the overbearing might he had from before, that didn’t diminish his confidence.
Then, it was time to gather the bodies, or what was remaining of them. With her throat cut, May was the most intact corpse. Of course, seeing the dagger wound instantly raised questions, and Raph’s explanation was by no means perfect. Shifting the blame to her did nothing to alleviate the dangerous looks from Leopold and Eldric. After all, Daniel was an outsider and a “former” priest of Morvina. Thankfully, Thomas seemed to understand the situation. Had he reacted the same, Daniel feared the night watchers might have taken action on their own. The warriors didn’t stand a chance in an ambush.
Making their way back to the cavern, Daniel threw up the moment he stepped foot inside. Seeing the condition of the three priests' bodies was too much for him. The smell of blood, rot, and death made the situation much worse.
The first priest was completely eviscerated, the second had only his lower body, and the third had his entire body melted by a ray of fire. The previous thoughts of holding the funeral in the city were dashed that very instant. A shower of gore painted the walls of the cave that had taken so many lives. Limbs and organs littered the floor, with no way of knowing who they belonged to.
If there was something to be thankful for, it was that Finnean had survived. By the time they came back, he was up on his feet, smiling as if nothing had happened. Only, Daniel could see traces of lingering fear, of the thought that he had almost died. Mysteriously, the “slave warriors” had vanished from the cave, but no one commented on the fact.
“Remind me to never go on expeditions against soul-devouring monsters again. That’s not to mention that I missed the entire fun part of the battle. Getting blasted by a ray of fire is the opposite of an exciting time,” Finnean said, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Frankly, Daniel had no energy to laugh.
Collecting the body parts was a messy job that Daniel was thankful he didn’t have to do. Proper teachings demanded that every funeral be held under the dawn’s light, but the situation was far from typical. Sun was only now beginning to set, and carrying around the priests’ bodies was an extremely challenging task. Besides, spending the night near the cavern was the last thing anyone wanted to do. Thus, an impromptu funeral was conducted in the cave, ending with the four dead bodies going up in a blaze under the false sun of the Paladin.
“Let’s find a safe place to rest and head to the city in the morning. Another squad can haul back Velkir and the wolves’ bodies, lest it is said that we came back empty-handed,” Thomas said, standing up from the cave floor, his cheeks slightly wet. After all, five people had died under his watch. Daniel wondered if he could live as if nothing had happened with such guilt.