The Paladin Order Reformed - Chapter 24

Time slowed to a crawl, every second seemed to be a minute. My mind raced, thinking of possible situations. “Am I too late?” Its the one question that took over my mind. I ran faster than I ever had before, finding new reserves of energy that were hidden, waiting to be discovered. The weight of my armor didn’t register nor did my weariness, nothing mattered except running.

Familiar trees passed, and eventually, after what seemed to be an eternity of running I reached the small village again. It was the same village, but somehow entirely different. It was a heinously twisted parody of the somewhat amicable town prior. The ground was filled with too many corpses, many more than I had left in my wake.

Unquenchable fires burnt rampantly and the buildings were marred beyond recognition. The only sounds were that of carnage, I didn’t need to hear the bemoaning of dying to know the herald of a massacre. Fear encased me, rolling over me like the unrelenting rhythm of a torrent’s waves. A thought came to me, a single thought that overwhelmed all the other thoughts that ran rampantly through my mind.

My squad, where are they?

Desperately I searched for any sign of my men, I followed the trail of bodies until I came to the center of the small village. I spotted a splash of red amongst the black that covered every surface in sticky swaths. Then some more, I followed bodies and trickles of blood until I was led back to the barn. The door was slightly open and a bloody trail of red beckoned me to search futilely for my comrades.

I drew my sword with a shaking hand and slowly opened the door with the other, the putrid stench hit me before I saw anything. I couldn’t even enter the barn before emptying the contents of my stomach on the nearby grass, shaking with tears and spittle. I wiped my mouth and steeled myself, to enter into the barn.

Before I could even discern the scene that my eyes beheld, I knew my worst nightmare had become a reality. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I doubled over heaving trying to empty my already depleted stomach. I sat there unable to move, too stunned to even cry out, all my emotions left me and all that remained was a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach, I had finally found my comrades.

Amongst the sickening gore and carnage were the still, almost unrecognizable silhouettes of my friends. The floor of the barn was slick with the still flowing blood of my comrades, I rose very slowly, it was the only pace I was able to manage without falling back down, I couldn’t trust my trembling legs.

To my dismay, I surveyed the carnage, trying to determine my comrades from the bloodied corpses.

Dontae…. He had more than 20 knives in him, the ground was scorched and charred corpses laid next to him. He was casting until the very end, they had to do all that just to put him down.

Joseph… He was pinned against the far wall of the barn, a large spear embedded in his stomach with his blood painting the wall with splatters. In his cold dead hand was a demon, his head was shifted at an unnatural angle as his neck was held in Joseph’s unyielding grip.

Mathew….. Was positioned in front of Joseph, his legs were pinned down by knives and a spear held him in place, the handle protruded from the base of his neck while the head traveled completely through his body and was fastened firmly in the floorboard below. An agonizing expression was eternally frozen on his face as he was forced to watch his brother dying in front of him as his brother was forced to do the same.

They all died so horribly, I tried to feel some kind of emotion, anger, regret, fear….. something, but I was completely void of all emotion. Rachel…. Where was she? I looked around the barn, then saw a shadow in the corner, it was her.

She was lying down with a dagger pinning her hands above her head. That seemed to be the worst injury on her body, all the others had many different lacerations and types of wounds, but Rachel only had an assortment of bruises and a cut on her throat. Except her clothes were in tatters…wait they didn’t…..no…god…..no…no….no… Rachel, I’m so sorry. I cried out in agony, my hollow-core was flooded with anger and rage.

Each of their smiling faces flashed through my mind, little moments we spent together laughing and joking. Our time training, at the tavern, and their faces after successfully taking down the archdemon, their memories were stark in contrast to the expressions they now wore. Expressions that were slowly replacing the warm memories. My heart hurt, I cried until no more tears would come and I could only manage shuttering breaths.

I felt so lonely, I would never again see any of their smiling faces, never reprimand Joseph and Mathew facetiously, never see Rachel’s emerald gaze as I play under starlight, I would never enthusiastically discuss magic theory with Dontae again.

They killed and tortured my friends bringing a fate worse than death, killing them in the most excruciating ways that I have ever seen. Their faces were contorted in agony, and it was my fault.

This was all my fault, we could have taken them on if I was here. I could have gotten them to safety if I was here. They all died waiting for me, holding on to a final promise that I couldn’t keep. “Why? Why did I have to leave them?” I said screaming at the floor. I thought that we would have reinforcements, but I still left them when I knew there could be demons nearby.

I failed, I crawled on my hands and knees out of the barn, my friend’s blood staining my hands and knees as I go. I collapsed on the grass, my mind not able to have a coherent thought. Everything I’ve done was for nothing. I worked so hard all my life, but it was for nothing. Look how useless I am, I boasted about my strength, but I failed my friends when they needed me most.

I stared limply at the sky and asked. “Why god? Why did you allow this to happen? Why did you let me become their commander If I was just going to get them killed? Why did I prepare this much only to fail? I did everything to be ready, I trained them as much as I was able, but they still died, I still killed them.”

I looked down at my hands, they were literally stained with the blood of my comrades. What else can I say? What can I do, what do I do now? Then the answer came, a horrible answer. One I shouldn’t have, but its the only answer I have now.

I stood up, fueled by a new strength. I went into the barn, my friends contorted faces forever burned into my mind. I reached out and closed Joseph’s eyes, then Mathew’s, I dislodged them and discarded those cursed spears. I took out those cruel weapons that bound my deceased friends, then put Josephs and Mathew’s bodies on my shoulders.

I took them out of the barn, I slowly walked back to camp with my burden, and I was slowed by their weight as well. When I arrived back at our camp, I carefully laid Joseph and Mathew down. Then turned and started walking back to the town, only saying to the bewildered troops observing me.

“Get someone to preserve their bodies and get them on the first caravan to their homeland.” I waited a few moments and no one moved, I shouted in a fiery outburst “NOW!!!” They hurried to fulfill my request out of the fear for their own lives.

I retrieved Rachel and Dontae and laid them with Mathew and Joseph, silently offering a prayer.

“god, have mercy on these great men and women, they died furthering your kingdom. Please punish me if you must, but please allow my friends to finally live in peace at your side. Amen.”

I turned from the camp thoughtless, my only drive was now a smoldering hatred in my core. I returned to the barn and retrieved all the weapons that were used on my friends. I cleaned them, knowing them not worthy of spilling such innocent blood. I stored all the weapons and started a hypocritical quest for justice.

I used my wisp to search for any traces of the demons, I eventually followed them to a forested clearing. I waited until the veil of night enveloped their camp, they sang and danced, claiming a “great” victory. That’s when I struck.

Casting [Drowning Sphere] I extinguished their fires, then any other light that remained. Confused cries riddled the camp, I cast [Light Vision], this allowed me to see in the dark.

There were roughly 100 demons in the encampment, I have 23 knives, a dagger, and two spears. That should be enough, I started my work. Taking out the knives, I started throwing them at all the demons encircling the central bonfire. My training and a little magic allowed each one of the 23 to find its spot, embedded in a demon’s throat. The remaining demons were frightened and confused, but they had no idea what was happening because anyone that would know was choking on their own blood.

There were 37 demons still alive around the smoldering embers that was a bonfire. “Hmm.” I thought, “How am I going to do this as painfully as possible, oh I know. demons have some resistance to fire, some.”

I cast [Great Inferno] a better version of [Flame Inferno], this engulfed anyone not drowning on their own blood in flames. I was blinded for a second, I had to close my eyes to escape the blinding light. I forgot to dispel [Light Vision] which enhances the amount of light you can see, almost blinding me due to the huge inferno. It took several seconds for my eyes to readjust. When they did, the sight before me was astounding in a cynical way.

The demons caught in my spell were completely set ablaze, their skin was melting off the bone by a flame so intense, only magic could accomplish. Their screams of terror were akin to the melody of a song, yes, it was the melody of death and I was its conductor.

As the demons slowly burned to death, I sat down near the bonfire next to a flaming demon. I pulled out a sausage that I was given as provisions for the field and stuck it on the end of the dagger. Then roasted it with the flame blazing off an unmoving demon next to me. I cooked it, rotating it slightly where it needed, eventually, it sizzled and glistened with grease. I sat back and enjoyed my heinous snack as I listened to the screams of terror from the flaming demons.

I heard voices behind me, I stood up and looked saw the remaining demons holding their weapons in my direction. I licked my fingers, removing the remaining grease, then pulled out the spears smiling an atrocious smile. Beckoning the remaining 40 to try their luck, they took a step back with fear in their eyes, good, they know what comes next.

I rushed forward holding the two spears in front of me, I ran 10 demons through with the two spears. I let go of the spears, leaving the demons to look at each other with blank eyes as they died on the same pole. I drew my dagger, I didn’t have any more creativity for the remaining 30, they started running anyway. I chased them, killing all of them one by one until the light of dawn broke.

After finishing my terrible work, I stood there covered in dark blood that was not my own staring at the rising sun. I had hoped that taking my revenge would fill this hollow feeling in my chest, but my deeds had only made it much, much worse.