1The days had passed quickly since Dia had first sent the paladin on her way, amulet round her neck. She felt mild annoyance at the loss of so many of her minions and had been forced to alter her schedule accordingly to prepare more from the expansive crypts beneath the castle. Reanimating the bones of the dead was far from an exhaustive pursuit, especially with the relative completeness of the skeletons, but the process for creating minions to the necromantress's exacting specifications was still a lengthy one.
Within a few days, she'd managed to replace the sentinel force manning the castle ramparts with a more refined batch of skeletons, even replicating more of her prototype black skull scorchers.
Then Kanan returned and all but collapsed at her door.
"I'm sorry for the trouble," mumbled the paladin bashfully.
Dia sighed as she worked, gently wiping Kanan's bruised skin with a damp cloth soaked in perfumed water. The blunette was functionally immobile for the near future, so the necromantress chose to apply an alternative form of bathing. Given the scent of her armor and the clothes beneath it, Kanan could use all the help she could get.
"I do hope you'll consider being more careful in the future," she advised. "I certainly won't be around to tend to you next time."
Kanan didn't say anything, looking further away.
"However, you may consider this a show of my gratitude for having cleansed the Midnight Sea. Had you not, I'm sure whatever was down there would have emerged sooner or later and attacked me."
"It was pretty aggressive," remarked Kanan pensively.
"Exactly. So don't feel the need to be guilty over taking my bed."
"If you say it like that, it makes me feel even more guilty..."
The sound of creaking bones trudging down the hall caught their attention, and Kanan turned to see a skeleton enter the room while carrying a pewter platter. She fidgeted slightly, still unnerved at the sight of walking skeletal servants. Dia took the platter and sent the minion on its way, lifting the top to reveal a fine meal for them to share.
"Now then, Kanan, it's time for dinner." Dia picked up a forkful of food and held it out. "Open," she commanded.
Kanan felt her face flush with embarrassment, but did as she was told, letting Dia feed her until her appetite was sated. Once the meal was finished, Dia had a skeleton bring the dish back to the kitchen and gave Kanan another cursory examination.
"How do you feel?" she asked, fingers trailing gently over the paladin's bandages.
"Fine," answered Kanan. "A bit tired, I guess."
"Perhaps you should try to sleep. It's rather early to turn in for the night, but bed rest would mend your injuries better than anything else I could do."
"I guess you're right," said Kanan. Her eyes turned forlornly out the window at the setting sun, melancholic at her medical confinement. As Dia prepared to leave, an idea lit up the blunette's eyes and she turned back to her hostess. "Hey Dia? If it's not too much to ask, could you read me a bedtime story?"
The necromantress fixed her with an unimpressed stare. "You wish for a bedtime story," she repeated dryly.
Kanan gave a small and bashful nod.
Dia's emerald eyes continued to stare at her, dull and impassive as she considered the request. Kanan was about to recant when the ravenette suddenly returned to her seat, a soft sigh on her lips as she reached for a small volume of historical chronologies stowed beside the bed. Cracking open the aged pages to a random chapter, Dia began to read.
It wasn't long before Kanan drifted off, a blissful smile on her face.
The paladin's recovery was mercifully swift, in part due to her natural resilience and in part due to the necromantress's nursing, and it wasn't long at all before Kanan found herself donning her armor once more in preparation for the road. As she laced up the last of her straps, she let out a breath of appreciation for the familiarity of the weight, before moving to gather up the miscellanies of her travel kit.
"Are you certain you're not too sore to move around properly with all that?" came Dia's voice from the door.
The blunette tossed a quick smile her way. "I've suffered through worse," she replied glibly. "Besides, I've imposed on you enough. You've done so much for me and gotten so little in return... Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you?"
Dia scoffed. "Unless you can stop every other boneheaded paladin from coming for my head, then no, I don't believe..." She trailed off suddenly, her expression settling into a clipped frown.
"...Dia?"
"As it turns out, perhaps there is something you can assist me with. Would you consider yourself a diplomat?"
Kanan blinked at the unexpected inquiry. "Um. Not particularly," she answered. The necromantress let out a hum of mild disappointment, but said nothing further. "Why?"
"It appears that once more, this castle is under attack."
There were three of them standing in formation in the castle's entrance hall, weapons raised as they surveyed the outermost space of the castle's interior. The leader held an ornately decorated greatsword and donned immaculate white armor with gold trim and intricate patterns adorning the shoulder pauldrons and chestplate. Behind him and to his sides were a pair of similarly outfitted paladins in gilded whitesteel, one sporting twin swords and the other wielding a spear and shield.
Their heraldry pronounced them as members of the Order of the Iron Pen.
As they inched closer into the castle interior, Kanan raised an arm in greeting, and the paladins stopped at this unexpected encounter. "Hail!" she called out in greeting.
Twin-Swords and Spear-and-Shield exchanged a dubious glance, but Gold-Trim responded. "Hail." His helm dipped slightly as he leered at her suspiciously. "To what do we owe this unexpected encounter?"
"I'm a paladin of Mera, here on a quest to investigate and purify the Midnight Sea. I've been graciously allowed to shelter in this castle by its owner."
Low hums of disapproval emanated from among the armored trio, but Gold-Trim's voice remained civil. "This castle is abandoned. It has no owner."
"I beg to differ," rejoined Kanan. "There's a lovely young woman here who has offered me nothing but hospitality. I'm honored to recognize her dominion over this place."
A growl suddenly came from Twin-Swords, a sound that cut off abruptly as his leader cast him a sharp glance. "Let's not continue to mince words," stated Gold-Trim. "This castle contains a necromancer and you do no favors to her nor yourself in attempting to obfuscate that."
"This is her home," insisted the blunette, "And right now you're technically trespassing. But enough about her. What of yourself? What is your intent on being here?"
"We are here to purge this castle of her corrupting taint," snarled Twin-Swords.
Gold-Trim let out a harrumph. "Though the lad speaks out of turn, he is correct. We cannot allow her to continue defiling the honored dead any longer."
Kanan frowned. "That's not fair. She doesn't even use souls in her undead. And these mortal remains are from the last Age. Anyone who had any meaningful connection to them is long gone," she argued.
Gold-Trim growled impatiently and raised his greatsword, prompting Kanan to do the same. "The precepts of Tunon are clear on the matter: all those who would dare manipulate the boundaries of life and death shall be granted swift execution," declared the leader of the assembled war party. "Now stand aside or be struck down by righteous justice."
Kanan's hands tightened their grip on her sword. "I won't let you hurt her," she growled immutably.
"Then fall by my blade!" shouted the leader as he charged.
The ringing of steel crashing on steel sounded out and battle was joined.
As the four paladins made to war, the lone figure observing the confrontation from the shadows of the upper landing loosed a sigh. Shaking her head in annoyance, Dia made her way to one of the rear staircases, the crystal atop her staff pulsing with menace.
If these foolish paladins wanted a fight, then she would oblige.
The fight was not going well for Kanan.
Though she'd dodged the first blow and successfully retaliated, her sword had crashed harmlessly against Gold-Trim's gauntlet as he and his fellows attempted to surround her. Faced with vicious swings, focused stabs, and savage slashes, it was all she could do to keep herself whole. Her only saving grace was her mobility, her unencumbered form able to sidestep and dodge the attacks arrayed against her, but it could only last so long. If she didn't go on the offensive, her death was all but certain.
Stepping back to avoid another swing from Gold-Trim's greatsword, she saw an opportunity as Spear-and-Shield thrust towards her. Parrying the spearhead, she angled her blade to catch the less protected side of his arm with a slash, drawing a cry of pain from her foe as her sword drew first blood. A small spark of hope ignited within her. Perhaps she could win this fight.
It was a hope quickly dashed, as Spear-and-Shield advanced upon her with his off-hand in the lead, slamming into her his mighty shield. Kanan yelped as she was thrown back, staggered by the blow but doing her best to recover with a roll. But despite her relative nimbleness, she was still too slow.
The third of her foes was on her, Twin-Swords's hands already a dervish as he accelerated towards her.
For a moment, it seemed as if Twin-Swords would strike true as he dove under her sundered guard, blade aimed point-blank at her throat. There was nothing Kanan could do to stop the steel, no blessing from her goddess she could call upon to halt the cruel touch of metal.
Then a ray of violet magic blasted the paladin off his feet.
All four paladins turned to see the necromancer as she stepped coolly out of an alcove.
As the trio of invaders glared hatefully at the sight of their quarry, Kanan recovered and renewed her guard, stepping between both parties with blade raised and ready. The blunette let out a bellowing war cry as battle was rejoined.
With an ally at her back, Kanan's confidence returned in force and she set forth a series of aggressive swings that forced Gold-Trim and Spear-and-Shield on the defensive. Twin-Swords leapt back into the fight as well, focused on taking out the more immediate threat. Kanan's veins were flowing with renewed vigor now that she had someone to protect, and her resolve was ever stronger as she lashed out with purpose.
A lucky bolt of necromantic energy slammed into Spear-and-Shield, turning his attention away from Kanan and towards the ravenette. As he stomped towards her, he called upon the blessing of his patron, shouting out, "Your deathly magic is powerless against the shield of Tunon!"
The necromancer felt her mouth twist into a smirk as she reared her hand back for another spell, the only sign to broadcast her confidence, Without a word, Dia thrust her empty hand forward as Spear-and-Shield advanced, loosing a powerful blast of flame that completely blindsided the paladin. He screamed in agony as the magical flame bypassed his divine aura and melted the whitesteel protecting his body, fusing his armor and burning his skin, the blood literally boiling within his veins.
When Dia ended the flow of magic, all that remained was a shapeless carcass of ash and metal.
Gold-Trim shouted in shock and outrage, immediately abandoning his fight against Kanan to go for the necromancer, Kanan's sword crashing harmlessly against his shoulder pauldron as she dealt an attack of opportunity. The blunette wanted to pursue, but Twin-Swords had doubled his assault, the blades weaving at her in a lethal pattern that she only just managed to avoid.
Dia tapped into the power of the crystal atop her staff, sending globules of sickly magic towards the enraged leader, the impacts fueling his fury as the magical ailment suffused his veins with zealous delirium. His swings became more wild and less disciplined, his battle focus dissipating as his accuracy dwindled, but even so it was enough to occupy Dia's concentration, the necromancer unable to cast as she danced around the biting blade.
Fortunately, her companion was having better luck.
As she dodged one blow and parried another, Kanan uttered an incantation. Suddenly, Twin-Swords lost all his momentum as binds of light were magicked into existence around his feet.
Overly reliant on mobility, Twin-Swords was unprepared for such an impedance and could only cry out in shock as Kanan's sword cleaved into the opening between his helm and chest plate, digging deeply into his jugular. If the force of the blow didn't outright snap his neck, the ensuing blood loss would see to his swift departure.
Having witnessed the deaths of his comrades, the final foe let out an anguished cry of damnation that forced Kanan and Dia to step back.
He was burned, battered, beaten and broken, but their last adversary would have his revenge.
With the last of his energy, he thrust his greatsword to the sky and incanted. "I call upon the power of Salamandra!" shouted Gold-Trim. "May your chains be broken and your cage shattered! I release you!" Crimson runes appeared on the folded steel, glowing hotter and burning brighter as it channeled the last of his life force into summoning the very essence of fire.
Dia moved to conjure her own flames to counter this assault, but a mighty cloak of fire blazed around the dying paladin, forcing the two back as a new being materialized.
Stemming from the tip of the blindingly white blade was an ifrit, a malevolent and vaguely humanoid spirit hailing from the Plane of Fire. Now free from the confines of the greatsword that had acted as its vessel and prison for so long, the creature acted upon its basest instincts and espoused a howl of fire.
"Burn," it hissed as flames spewed freely from its appendages, "Burn burn burn burn burn BURN!" Its mantra devolved into maniacal laughter, and great gouts of flame erupted before it, giant spheres of molten lava hurled recklessly around the castle interior as the thing reveled in the mayhem and destruction it so dearly wished to inflict.
Kanan's hold on her greatsword tightened as she gazed upon the Ifrit, paralyzed with fear, sweat pouring off her brow as much from her anxiety as from the drastic rise in temperature. This thing was... unholy. She felt driven to banish it back to whence it had come, but the difference in power level was damnably palpable, and she was exhausted. Under continual assault from the Ifrit's scorching aura, the blunette was wavering on her feet, her mind fighting her body on whether to fight or just collapse.
"Kanan!"
The paladin of Mera suddenly felt relief as a thin barrier of dark energy flowed around her. She turned to Dia, the necromancer looking equally weary.
"We cannot fight this creature," stated the ravenette. "Our only recourse is to withdraw. Do you understand?"
Her mental faculties still recovering from the heatwave, Kanan managed to nod in acknowledgement. Without another word, the pair scurried away as quickly as they could, leaving the immolated interior of Castle Grimscar to the madness of the ifrit as they fled.
Soon, all that remained of Castle Grimscar was a lifeless monolith of ash.
Two wanderers marched slowly along the worn road, each having suffered through the hellish torment, yet each emerging unscathed through the fire and flames. Eventually they reached a crossroads, and as one of the wanderers started down the less traveled path, the first words were spoken.
"Let me go with you," offered Kanan.
Dia scoffed, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "You? Accompany me? A righteous paladin journeying with a known and reviled necromancer?"
The paladin shrugged. "Why not? You've been nothing but helpful, and it's kind of my fault those other paladins burned down your castle."
"No it's not," retorted the necromancer. "They would have resorted to such measures regardless."
"Still, if only I was a better diplomat... But c'mon, what do you say?"
Dia sighed. "Kanan, I'm evil."
"You're selfish," corrected the blunette. "In the eyes of Mera, at least. Besides, didn't we make a good team when we were fighting together?"
"We did," admitted Dia with reluctance. "Though I don't particularly see what you have to gain from any sort of partnership beyond alleviating some misplaced guilt over the loss of my refuge. My temporary refuge."
"Not everything has to come with some kind of reward. Besides, my goddess likes the occasional bout of spontaneity, you know? And it's not like I have anything better to do, so why not join up with a companion and see where the road takes us?"
"Ideally, to another abandoned castle with extensive crypts and an even more extensive reliquary of arcane knowledge," came the deadpan response. The ravenette sighed. "Oh, very well, do as you wish. I suppose your company could prove useful to me in the future."
Kanan's face blossomed into a wide and happy grin at Dia's words. "Whatever you need and whenever you need it, I'll be there for you," she promised.
A wry smile crossed the necromancer's lips. "We shall see."
With that, the two travelers started down the path less traveled, walking towards the future together to whatever it may be.
~END~
