Dian the Just
Disclaimer: I don't own Majesty or some of the hero's names.
The Goblins of course weren't defeated that easily. They still had some bit of order to them, and they immediately formed up. It would be hard for Dian, because there was hardly any real muscle to defend the archers. The Rangers, Rogues, and Elves would have been an asset anywhere else, except here, without any heavily armored infantry to defend them. Here, they were sitting ducks if the enemy broke their ranks. The ranks consisted of Dian, Tearra, and Kira. That was it. Dian just hoped the Goblins would swarm them, and not the archers. Dian fell back at the last moment. This was to be a defensive battle.
The Goblins thought her withdrawal fear, not strategy. They charged, yelling in their raucous, gurgling language. Dian easily began to cut them. The Goblins seemed to come in front and melt away as fast. She danced on feet as light as air, her sword bestowing death on all the unfortunate Goblins. She was untouchable. But everything she did had an order to it. There was no clumsy stumbling, hacking, or tripping. She flew with an almost inhuman grace, dodging each mace, club, sword, knife, or arrow.
She now knew what the Paladins were talking about when they said the fought a fluid battle. She would be waterfall, cascading into her opponents, or rain, gently dodging all the blows. She was an oncoming river and a subsiding stream. That was, until the magic struck.
Dian was blown back by a wave of debris and fire that blew through both Goblin and Paladin alike. She watched as Goblins were cut apart or seemed to disintegrate. Kira screamed and fell. Dian could only watch, as swarms of Goblins were cut apart, like some insane butcher at work. Then, a huge blade of air swept past her. The Elves behind her were blown in different directions, as the air smashed into the South District. Horrendous grinding noises were heard as the buildings were plucked and thrown. Dian stared up from her fallen position.
Then the spell turned on the Rangers, Elves, and Rogues. Screams and horrifying, yet melodic Elven cries echoed across the ravaged landscape. A bloody, tattered, blue Elven suit hit Dian. It flew across her vision and blew off into oblivion. The very ground shook with the ferocity of the attack.
Then, the magic subsided and all was still.
Dian stood up, and uneasily shook herself off. Her head was pounding like a drum, and felt as tight. She slowly sheathed her sword and knelt down. She had failed the settlement. It hadn't been her fault, not really, but she felt downfallen nonetheless. She said a prayer for the departed souls of to Dauros' Golden Chambers and stood up. Her head felt a little better, but her arms still shook.
Kira had already gotten up, her helm missing. Her red hair flew out behind her, in the midst of the bloody carnage. A few bewildered Elves and Rogues pulled themselves up. The few remaining Goblins fled. Most of those met a vengeful Tearra. What was left of the proud Rangers, maybe the finest in all of Ardania, was a bloody heap of red and green. Hardly any of them were intact, let alone alive. Dian felt tears running down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but her arms were too weak.
Gusto Swifstaff ran up. "Hey Dian, this isn't the most stable of places if you know what I mean. I'm thinking we should get a… move… on." Gusto's words faltered under the menace of Dian's glare.
"Leave!" Dian practically roared. "How could I ever leave! I swore to protect this place, this settlement, my Sovereign with my life! How dare you suggest such a thing!"
Gusto stood there a nervous silence, and then he spoke up, in a voice hardly louder than a murmur, "The Sovereign is dead."
Dian could only stare in mute surprise.
Kira sprinted over to the two, "Dian, we're leaving. There's nothing left for us here, and you know it. We wouldn't stand a chance, not against this kind of magic. We leave."
Dian felt her shoulders sag. The sword fell from her hand. She had only been a Paladin for three days, and yet she no longer had even a Sovereign to follow. She came to her knees. She was a failure. Even though she could summon the Soul of Order, it did her no good. She had failed her Sovereign, and the realm that he or she owned. She stared up at Gusto and Kira, their sad faces surely hiding their looks of anger at her and her incompetence. Dian flinched. She was a complete, utter, failure.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice heavy with grief.
Gusto and Kira's looks of confusion were obviously a cover-up for the anger at her seeking forgiveness.
"Dian, it wasn't your fault," Kira reassured.
It did no good. Dian was convinced she was at fault. She stood up and followed them dejectedly.
"First of all," Gusto announced, "We need to head over to the nearest Trading Post and grab some potions. Then, we regroup, have anybody accompany us that wishes to."
"We must say the Prayer of the Dead," Kira said. "It is protocol.
"To Helia with your protocols! This place is doomed!" Gusto yelled. "We don't know if this is merely a respite for the magics or not. I don't want to be caught in the middle of another Necromantic Thunderstorm."
Kira looked sternly at Gusto. "Then leave, you cowardly windbag."
Gusto grinned mockingly, "I could take that as a compliment."
Kira's fist clenched. It was the first time Dian saw her get mad. The usually slow, casual, easygoing smile on her face was replaced with grinding, clenched teeth, much like Tearra. Red curls framed the thunderstorm of her face, and her blue eyes were not a gentle ocean but a freezing ice. Dian flinched, then settled back into her depressed misery.
"Alright," Gusto said, shrugging as if it was no loss to him. Kira's features visibly relaxed.
The trio set off towards the nearest Temple to Dauros, in West Town. The Temple there wasn't as high quality as the central city, but Kira agreed to Gusto's need for speed. That was how Dian found herself in the Temple to Dauros, kneeling before the Altar of Justice in between the two bronze statues (the temple couldn't afford the gold) statues of the Just and Loving Dauros, both with their right fist extended outward, the sacred Fist of Dauros. Blue runes decorated the white marble walls. They all gleamed in the torchlight in the catacombs beneath the Temple. Kira and Dian chanted, their voices reverberating inside the small room, while Gusto waited over in the doorway, spinning his staff.
Both Paladins rose in unison. Gusto stopped spinning his staff, and grinned. "Can we go now, ladies?" he gestured with his left hand toward the door. He flipped his staff up with his right hand and inserted it into the catch on his back. He turned and strode confidently out the door.
Disclaimer: I don't own Majesty or some of the hero's names.
The Goblins of course weren't defeated that easily. They still had some bit of order to them, and they immediately formed up. It would be hard for Dian, because there was hardly any real muscle to defend the archers. The Rangers, Rogues, and Elves would have been an asset anywhere else, except here, without any heavily armored infantry to defend them. Here, they were sitting ducks if the enemy broke their ranks. The ranks consisted of Dian, Tearra, and Kira. That was it. Dian just hoped the Goblins would swarm them, and not the archers. Dian fell back at the last moment. This was to be a defensive battle.
The Goblins thought her withdrawal fear, not strategy. They charged, yelling in their raucous, gurgling language. Dian easily began to cut them. The Goblins seemed to come in front and melt away as fast. She danced on feet as light as air, her sword bestowing death on all the unfortunate Goblins. She was untouchable. But everything she did had an order to it. There was no clumsy stumbling, hacking, or tripping. She flew with an almost inhuman grace, dodging each mace, club, sword, knife, or arrow.
She now knew what the Paladins were talking about when they said the fought a fluid battle. She would be waterfall, cascading into her opponents, or rain, gently dodging all the blows. She was an oncoming river and a subsiding stream. That was, until the magic struck.
Dian was blown back by a wave of debris and fire that blew through both Goblin and Paladin alike. She watched as Goblins were cut apart or seemed to disintegrate. Kira screamed and fell. Dian could only watch, as swarms of Goblins were cut apart, like some insane butcher at work. Then, a huge blade of air swept past her. The Elves behind her were blown in different directions, as the air smashed into the South District. Horrendous grinding noises were heard as the buildings were plucked and thrown. Dian stared up from her fallen position.
Then the spell turned on the Rangers, Elves, and Rogues. Screams and horrifying, yet melodic Elven cries echoed across the ravaged landscape. A bloody, tattered, blue Elven suit hit Dian. It flew across her vision and blew off into oblivion. The very ground shook with the ferocity of the attack.
Then, the magic subsided and all was still.
Dian stood up, and uneasily shook herself off. Her head was pounding like a drum, and felt as tight. She slowly sheathed her sword and knelt down. She had failed the settlement. It hadn't been her fault, not really, but she felt downfallen nonetheless. She said a prayer for the departed souls of to Dauros' Golden Chambers and stood up. Her head felt a little better, but her arms still shook.
Kira had already gotten up, her helm missing. Her red hair flew out behind her, in the midst of the bloody carnage. A few bewildered Elves and Rogues pulled themselves up. The few remaining Goblins fled. Most of those met a vengeful Tearra. What was left of the proud Rangers, maybe the finest in all of Ardania, was a bloody heap of red and green. Hardly any of them were intact, let alone alive. Dian felt tears running down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but her arms were too weak.
Gusto Swifstaff ran up. "Hey Dian, this isn't the most stable of places if you know what I mean. I'm thinking we should get a… move… on." Gusto's words faltered under the menace of Dian's glare.
"Leave!" Dian practically roared. "How could I ever leave! I swore to protect this place, this settlement, my Sovereign with my life! How dare you suggest such a thing!"
Gusto stood there a nervous silence, and then he spoke up, in a voice hardly louder than a murmur, "The Sovereign is dead."
Dian could only stare in mute surprise.
Kira sprinted over to the two, "Dian, we're leaving. There's nothing left for us here, and you know it. We wouldn't stand a chance, not against this kind of magic. We leave."
Dian felt her shoulders sag. The sword fell from her hand. She had only been a Paladin for three days, and yet she no longer had even a Sovereign to follow. She came to her knees. She was a failure. Even though she could summon the Soul of Order, it did her no good. She had failed her Sovereign, and the realm that he or she owned. She stared up at Gusto and Kira, their sad faces surely hiding their looks of anger at her and her incompetence. Dian flinched. She was a complete, utter, failure.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice heavy with grief.
Gusto and Kira's looks of confusion were obviously a cover-up for the anger at her seeking forgiveness.
"Dian, it wasn't your fault," Kira reassured.
It did no good. Dian was convinced she was at fault. She stood up and followed them dejectedly.
"First of all," Gusto announced, "We need to head over to the nearest Trading Post and grab some potions. Then, we regroup, have anybody accompany us that wishes to."
"We must say the Prayer of the Dead," Kira said. "It is protocol.
"To Helia with your protocols! This place is doomed!" Gusto yelled. "We don't know if this is merely a respite for the magics or not. I don't want to be caught in the middle of another Necromantic Thunderstorm."
Kira looked sternly at Gusto. "Then leave, you cowardly windbag."
Gusto grinned mockingly, "I could take that as a compliment."
Kira's fist clenched. It was the first time Dian saw her get mad. The usually slow, casual, easygoing smile on her face was replaced with grinding, clenched teeth, much like Tearra. Red curls framed the thunderstorm of her face, and her blue eyes were not a gentle ocean but a freezing ice. Dian flinched, then settled back into her depressed misery.
"Alright," Gusto said, shrugging as if it was no loss to him. Kira's features visibly relaxed.
The trio set off towards the nearest Temple to Dauros, in West Town. The Temple there wasn't as high quality as the central city, but Kira agreed to Gusto's need for speed. That was how Dian found herself in the Temple to Dauros, kneeling before the Altar of Justice in between the two bronze statues (the temple couldn't afford the gold) statues of the Just and Loving Dauros, both with their right fist extended outward, the sacred Fist of Dauros. Blue runes decorated the white marble walls. They all gleamed in the torchlight in the catacombs beneath the Temple. Kira and Dian chanted, their voices reverberating inside the small room, while Gusto waited over in the doorway, spinning his staff.
Both Paladins rose in unison. Gusto stopped spinning his staff, and grinned. "Can we go now, ladies?" he gestured with his left hand toward the door. He flipped his staff up with his right hand and inserted it into the catch on his back. He turned and strode confidently out the door.
