The Paladin Order Reformed - Chapter 32
I was dragged away from our simple camp, even then Lili refused to meet my eyes. Once she disappeared from my vision, I snapped out of it. I was being dragged by a couple of middle-aged looking beast men with signature white wolf ears and tail, I mentally cast [Light Blade] imagining it to be a slender, thin blade that came out the tip of my finger. I used the blade to slowly and quietly cut through an iron link in the shackles that bound me.
I looked back at the wolf-men and said. “You guys look pretty strong, but I bet you can’t take a punch.” The older of the two laughed saying. “You’d be wrong, but you can’t exactly test that, can you?” I grinned back smugly and said. “I wouldn’t say that.” The blade of light cut through the last bit of the chain as I finished speaking and I jumped up using the full force of my legs and back, I drove a devastating uppercut to the closest wolf-man. I smiled waiting for him to collapse from the shock to his jaw, but he remained standing. Panicked I looked up at his face, he was smiling at my still extended hand under his jaw.
He backed a pace away and said. “Not bad, haven’t had someone give a punch like that in a long time.” He wiped his lip and set his eyes on me with an excited glint and said. “My turn.”
My eyes could barely register his speed, let alone react to him as he swiftly delivered a powerful blow to the edge of my chin, knocking me out cold instantly. I was unwillingly plunged into the dark abyss, I floated aimlessly vaguely aware of my body being dragged over the coarse ground, even unconscious I knew they had very little regard for transporting my body safely, I tried to listen in but the void was too dense to hear through. I roughly remember some foul liquid that I was forcibly ingested, my body felt drained after consuming it, but I was in no state to oppose it.
Eventually, I awoke in the middle of a sprawling encirclement of tents filled with milling beastmen and wolf-men. My hands were chained around a stripped tree embedded in the ground serving as a large stake that confined me. Eventually, the audience of enemies realized I had come to, and the wolf-man that I saw when I first woke up approached me saying.
“Look who’s finally awake, serves you right. If you cant take a punch, then you shouldn’t try and deal one out. Look at you, the most wanted person on the entire continent, being knocked out cold by a single punch.” He looks over at some men and motions in my direction, they approach us toating a suspicious-looking wooden case. Fear awakens in me, but I cannot help but be curious about the contents of the case.
He notices my curiosity and grins with distasteful pleasure, he addresses the congregation of gathering soldiers saying. “This is Paladin Knight Christain, but you will know him as the “Crimson Shadow.” As you know he’s slaughtered many of our brothers, he killed many of our own about a month prior to today. He did not defeat them with his own strength or skill, no he clung to the shadows killing our proud family and friends with magic and arrows like the goblin he is.” He turned to me with his arms flared pompously outwards and wore a grand smile savoring the fear growing in my eyes.
“I was going to transport him back to the demon continent where the Demon army would try him, then execute him, but what say you, brothers? Should we haul this dangerous cutthroat all that way, allowing him to endanger more of our own? Or should we honor our fallen comrades with an offering of his black blood on the ground!” A great cheer erupted from the gathered beastmen, all demanding blood.
Fear gripped my heart and it threatened to overtake me. My breathing became ragged and tears started prickle my eyes, but I bit my tongue hard forcing myself to remain calm. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth and spit flowed uncontrollably in my mouth, but my fear was forced back and I was forced to think with a clear mind. A deadly calm overtook me, the kind that I only felt when I knew I had to act or die.
The wolf-man lifted his hand to his white twitching ear saying. “I can’t hear you, what should we do with him?” With one voice the soldiers screamed. “Kill him!” He looked around at them faking disappointment. “If you’re going to whisper, then I won’t bother asking. Let’s try this again, what should we do?” A cumulative cry with a deafening primitive volume bellowed from every beastman’s throats. “KILL HIM!” This cry only gained momentum, soon all that could be heard was the rhythmic demands calling “KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!”
The wolf-man nodded, finally satisfied with their display. He walked casually to the soldiers, they bow while presenting the wooden case to him. He opens the container, grasping the object he lifts it high above his head declaring.
“This is the sacred blade “Moon Fang”, with this I will claim revenge, giving solace for all that have fell victim to this vermins mistic traps. He will die chained like the do… the rat he is!” He could barely finish before his voice was completely drowned by their encouraging cries still calling for a single demand.
I take note of the blade, it’s an oddly shaped knife that has an entirely white blade and black handle, where it has a circular ring at the end of the hilt. The entire knife curves like a cat’s claw, but it seems the only way to use it is by holding it in a reverse grip the same way you could hold a dagger. The knife looks similar to the tribal blades used by the nomadic people in the jungles of the Dragerian Republic, these are called a kermbit.
The wolf-man walks slowly twirling his “Sacred Blade” with his index finger through the ring. He smiles and cherished the fear that unwillingly grew on my face every second. The barbaric chants grew louder with every step.
I feared that this would be it, my life flashed before my eyes as he came closer. The wonderful moments of growing up with Sir Richard as he taught me how to become a Paladin Knight, the countless nights I spent playing my mandola as Aliece listened to my music, and when I shared a serene meal with my squad at the tavern as we joked and laughed freely. All those moments flew through my mind, but I felt like I had barely lived. As my death approached closer with each passing moment I realized that I didn’t want to die. Not yet.
I did anything trying to escape, I tried to summon another blade of light, but my body refused to cast anything. Actually, it felt like the mana inside my body refused to do anything. Like water unable to pass through a dammed channel.
The wolf-man laughed at my feeble struggles and asked. “What? Cant, you summon some kind of magic trick to get you out of those chains? Oh, that’s right, we made you drink a magic dampening potion. That’s right, your bag of tricks has officially run out, just like your time in this world.”
“Crap! That’s not good!” I think, a magic dampening potion is just water that has ground up crystals that produce mana mixed in. After drinking this your mind becomes unable to produce any spells because of the conflicting sources of mana, it tries to draw from both sources but draws neither of them as a result. I can’t use my mana, I can’t break these chains, I’m going to die.
He grins wildly after I realize my situation, he laughs sinisterly at my expression of pure hopeless terror. I close my eyes and await my fate, but noticed nothing happens. Slowly I open one of my eyes, a shadow overcasts me, a figure in front of me block the sun casting a shadow over me.
Lili stands defiantly in front of me, opposing not only him but the entire army around us, yet not emitting a single trace of fear. She opposes the wolf-man saying. “Rett, this isn’t what we agreed too. You said you wouldn’t harm him if I helped you. When did you become a liar?”
His nostrils flared and he scowled at Lili saying. “Do you really think dad would want you to be calling me a liar, anyway he killed uncle Robart and other beastmen. Why are you defending him?”
She looked back at me admiringly and said. “He is the only reason I’m still alive, he saved me and protected me. Something that even you failed to do.” Rett winced at this, then said with a higher tone of voice. “I…I did what I could, you can’t blame me for what happened!” She crossed her arms and looked at him with disdain saying. “He could have succeeded, he beat an archdemon barehanded.” I have no clue what they’re eluding to.
Rett looked at me with disbelief, then looked back to Lili and asked with a shrill. “Him?!” She only nodded. I regret boasting to her about my battle with the archdemon now, but that’s not exactly going to matter now if I die. Rett shakes his head and simply addresses some men saying loudly. “Unfortunately my darling little sister Lili has been bewitched by this scum, would a few of you be so kind as to restrain her so I can finish this.”
A group of men jumped to do his bidding, Lili fought ferociously, knocking out several of her kind with well-placed punches, but eventually, she was tackled and forced to the ground. They grabbed her head and forced her to watch as Rett drew closer brandishing the “Moon Fang”, he smiled with contempt. Expressing a feeling of complete power and control, this made my blood boil.
Lili was crying out to me, screaming my name. Apologizing profusely, desperately begging for my forgiveness through tears streaming down her face. With my mind filled with rage, anger, and fear, I devised the only plan that had any chance of working. I looked darkly at the ground and stated.
“You’re a pretty big hypocrite, honestly it’s funny how disgustingly two-faced you are.” He replied with a shout of anger, rising to my provocation. “What did you say to me you worm? No maggot, actually your not even befitting of the title leach, but you want to call me a hypocrite!”
I started laughing, I chuckled while looking at the ground and said. “You don’t think you are? When I killed those men, I at least gave them a chance of fighting back, but you’re going to hide behind a cluster of fools echoing your words like brain-damaged parrots. Pathetic, even an imp would put up a more honorable fight than you.”
His face ignited with rage, a few men laughed at my comments, making his anger deepen. “Shut your mouth! You’re not even worth speaking to, let alone fighting.” I glared at him with a promise in my eyes and said. “It looks like you’re too much of coward to even face a mere human, look how the great Moon Claws have fallen, honestly, your clan couldn’t have earned its grand reputation if you’re its example.” He became even more flustered, but in his eye, I could see a glimmer of fear.
“Hooked.” I thought, Rett looked at the faces of the expectant soldiers around him. He couldn’t back down from someone insulting his clan, they had too much of a reputation to uphold and if he backed down from a human, then all the other beastmen would no doubt question the clan as a whole. Rett couldn’t afford to back down, he shook with frustration but said.
“I can’t wait to beat your skull in, hear that “Sir Paladin Knight Christian of the disgraced Paladin Order,” he said laced with contempt. I smiled dangerously and said with an even tone. “Trust me, so am I.”
