A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read my story so far and a special thanks to all those who have taken the time to leave a review. Sorry it has been so long since the last chapter, life as an adult is more consuming then I thought it would be. Anyway, to those of you that were wondering, this fic will eventually start heading in a romantic direction, but action is its primary genre so remember that. Alright, hope you enjoy!


CHAPTER IV

The Tides of Loyalty

"War is the only game in which it doesn't pay to have the home-court advantage."

- Dick Motta


Argus sized up the small-framed woman before him. To a paladin of his stature, such a person would seem nothing more than a twig which he could quite easily snap. However, Argus was no fool. He had seen the mystical powers wielded by magic-users such as the sorceress and he did not want to invoke them unless it was absolutely necessary.

"You overestimate your faith in the 'Light' which you hold so dear, paladin" Cyn said. "I could set you aflame in an instant."

"Perhaps your cockiness is what got you here in the first place, milady" the paladin retorted. "And I have a name, it's Argus."

"Names do not impress me, your holiness" the sorceress sneered.

"That's right, power is all you magic-users respect, right?" Argus mocked. "But where is your power when all you believe in is yourself? One day you will find that you are not enough, what will you do then?"

"I will rise to the challenge and I will become enough, for my powers know no limits!" Cyn boasted.

"If your magical powers are anything like the power of your mouth I may have a harder time then I originally thought bringing you in" Argus said.

Cyn's brow furrowed and her eyes began emanating a faint orange glow.

Before her lips could even form a word of the incantation she planned Argus's sword was unsheathed and pressed against her neck.

"I twitch and your head rolls" the paladin threatened.

"You're far too righteous for that" Cyn said. "But apparently you're also cowardly enough to draw steel against a poor, innocent woman. What does that say about your manhood?"

"It speaks volumes about my intelligence, for you are neither poor, nor innocent" Argus said. "Insults will not further your cause."

"They sure do make me feel better though" the sorceress mused.

"Stretch your hands forward so I may restrain them or I will have to get rough" the paladin instructed.

"I like it when you talk dirty to me, go ahead big boy, get rough!" Cyn taunted.

Argus went to move forward, only to find the sorceress had in fact thrust her hands forward, though she had no intent to surrender. The ensuing blast of energy was just enough to throw Argus off his feet and send his sword sprawling across the ground, but did little else.

"Not so strong without your blade, are you?" Cyn asked. She slowly bent over the paladin, showing amazing flexibility as she came face-to-face with him while still standing on both feet. "Now we can do this one of two ways," she said playfully. "You can let me go, or I can send you back to the Church bruised and battered."

"I see one problem with your options" Argus said.

"And what's th-" but Cyn's words were cut off as she was thrown over the top of her opponent and onto her own back. Argus rolled backwards and flipped around, forcefully grabbing both her wrists and pinning the magic-user to the ground.

"There is a third option, retribution" the paladin said, a smile forming on his lips.

Cyndia struggled for a few moments but quickly found that she was no match for the holy knight in terms of raw strength. Argus almost seemed to enjoy overpowering her.

"I cannot return to Westmarch, they'll throw me in the dungeons and leave me to rot" she said.

"And what business is that of mine? You are the one that set their streets aflame, its their decision what to do with you, not mine."

"I thought you Lightlovers were supposed to be caring and forgiving."

"You thought wrong then" Argus said, turning the sorceress to her back and quickly transitioning his hold over her so he could retrieve the rope from his supplies. "Won't you join me for a nice stroll in the woods?"

Just as the paladin finished his words he found himself sitting on the ground itself. The woman he had just been holding was nowhere to be found. Casting a glance in both directions and finding nothing, Argus smiled at his folly. He had underestimated the sorceress.

"By the way, Argus, was it? My name's Cyn, and next time, make sure you cover my mouth too" the sorceress said, appearing behind him.

Argus twisted to his feet but before he could even stand the magic-user disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Cyn, huh? Makes sense considering the multiple sins you committed" the paladin spoke more to himself then anyone.

From behind a nearby tree Cyn watched as the paladin packed up his rope and returned to the main path leading through the forest. She would see him again, no doubt. And next time she would not be so merciful.


It was morning by the time Captain Glaucus called for his men to rest. They had ridden hard all night in pursuit of the sorceress and had come up empty handed. Though the Captain still remained adamant that they were hot on the woman's trail, his second in command's patience seemed to be wearing thin.

"Captain, with all due respect I believe we may have ridden ahead of our fugitive" Phineus said, his face flush red with frustration. "She could've very easily cut back and lost us in the forest. What makes you so sure she went this way?"

"Lieutenant, are you questioning my command?" Glaucus asked.

"No sir, I'm merely trying to understand what we're doing here" the man said. Some of the color left his face.

"Phineus, I've hunted magic-users before" the Captain said. "Many times they are the only ones capable of escaping the city limits when the Guard is after them. Experience tells me the sorceress expects us to have lost her trail. I had hoped the paladin would've dealt with her but it appears he has failed."

"The paladin, sir?" Phineus asked. "How would he possibly have…"

"The trail of the sorceress was quite obvious, lieutenant," the Captain explained. "She had retraced her steps and hidden in the brush. However, I was forced to dispatch Lionel to warn Westmarch of possible attack by the undead."

"What does that have to do with capturing the sorceress?" the lieutenant asked.

"Have you ever faced a mage before Phineus?" the Captain asked, knowing full well the answer. "Even with Lionel our chances for success were slim. I would not risk the lives of all my men if I could instead use a Light-lover to accomplish the task. Even if he failed and the sorceress killed him at least the Church's numbers would've decreased. As of late, they've dispensed too much of their own justice and I'm tired of it. Don't you see? Either way, we win. But now, the paladin walks free as does the sorceress and we're forced to face her with depleted strength or not at all. I will not let my perfect capture record be ruined by some harlot and her magic tricks, understand?"

Phineus took a moment to absorb everything his commander had just told him. Glaucus planned on retaking the magic-user no matter what. Even if it meant the lives of all the good men around him. But the lieutenant was blindly loyal and would not express his worries to a man as dedicated to his work as Glaucus was. It would only fall on deaf ears. Though the decision burned at his very core, the lieutenant snapped to attention and saluted.

"Crystal clear, sir!" Phineus said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Good lieutenant, then return to the others and help set up camp."


The great spires and domes of the Church stretched high above the roofs of the city, visible from every part of Westmarch. The stone structure was a representation of the both the Church's strength and its resilience. The main body of the Church was a massive dome, dwarfed on each side by matching towers. Behind the dome a lovely garden stretched toward another pair of towers at the rear of the structure. The garden was open to the commoners for night prayer and was often used to attract tourists and convert them to the Light.

The Church was like home to Argus. When he wasn't on a holy crusade in the name of the Light, he was there, conversing with his fellow worshippers. The paladin enjoyed what little time he got to spend there.

As he made his way through the main hall, Argus was greeted by a familiar figure dressed in robes. The man had been withered by time, his skin wrinkled and his hair graying but his lips still formed an ever present smile.

"Argus, my son, you have returned!" the old man said merrily.

"Father Mercius, good to see you!" Argus returned, smiling faintly. "But I'm afraid that I return with grave news. I must speak with the High Priest."

The smile faded from Mercius's face.

"What could possibly be so urgent that you must interrupt our holy leader during morning prayer?" the Father asked.

"In my journeys I came across an army of undead led by a demon calling itself a Hell Knight" Argus explained, trying to keep his voice down as not to panic any of the nearby worshippers.

"My son, the undead can only be raised by necromancers and a choice few demons, the chances that you faced a Hell Knight are quite sli…" Mercius began.

"I know what I saw, Father" Argus said sternly. The paladin watched all signs of merriment drain from the Father's face, turning it cold and emotionless.

"A marauding necromancer is nothing the High Priest needs to concern himself with, I will see to this problem myself" Mercius said, turning away before Argus could argue.

"Father! Father!" the paladin yelled, but the holy man continued his path with little regard for Argus, disappearing down a slim corridor that led to the Church's personal quarters.

Confused and offended, Argus stormed out toward the garden.

If Mercius, the man who had been there for him all his life, would not heed his words then what hope did he have of the High Priest heeding them? Either way, he would have to try, Argus decided. The appearance of this Hell Knight and the organization of an undead army would surely cause the Light to be unbalanced. And if that happened, Baal's strongest opposition would perish and the Brothers would seize control of all of Sanctuary. Argus couldn't let that happen. No matter what his superior thought, he knew what he had seen and experienced.

Plucking a small tulip from the garden and letting its glorious pollen tickle his nose, the paladin tried to calm himself. He bent down on one knee and began praying harder then he ever had before. He would need as much guidance from the Light as he could get if he planned to defy one of it's most holy followers by confronting the High Priest.

Steeling himself and drawing courage from his own faith, Argus rose to his feet and began the short trek to the High Tower, resting place of the Priest. The paladin was sure that this was indeed a test of his loyalty and faith in the Church, but it was one he was prepared to fail should it get his point across. He would come to blows with the High Priest himself if it meant saving all of Sanctuary from enslavement. In that sense, one could easily say he had lost faith but the paladin saw it as the ultimate embrace of the Light and its teaching. The Church had always taught its followers to do what was right, no matter the consequence.

Today, Argus would put those teachings to the test.