One last slash, and the demon fell dead. The paladin stabbed his sword
into the soggy earth and leaned against it slightly, breathing heavily. It
was at last completed, the last unholy beast in this forest was destroyed.
Or so the paladin thought.
A small disturbance off to the side alerted the paladin to a creature he hadn't sensed earlier. He straitened, lifted the sword above his head, and crept towards a thick patch of grass, where he had seen something stir. He reached out with his mind, fondling the foliage with his senses, trying to detect what lay within. He realized it might be a trap, and kept throwing quick glances to the side to see if there lurked a creature with malicious intent.
The rain poured from the sky, drenching the earth in the fading twilight. The swirling pools of water, the tiny splashes of rain drops, the gurgle of miniature streams and waterfalls prevented the paladin from determining what lay ahead of him.
The paladin had finally made his way within a few feet of where he had seen something stir, and he still wasn't entirely sure what it was. It very well could be a rodent settling in for the night, but something just didn't feel right about it. He lowered his blade and prepared to stab into the middle of the clump of grass when he heard a soft moaning. Carefully, the paladin used the side of his weapon to move the grass away from the source of the sound, and saw a small creature curled up.
In the deepening gloom, it was at first impossible to tell what the creature was. A brief flash of lightning, however, gave the paladin enough light to see the scaly flesh and dark eyes of demonic offspring. The paladin lifted his sword and prepared to slash down to cut the life force from the small mortal shell of the beast, when thunder rolled across the land like barrels of bass sound. The demon, terrified of the rumbling, began to wail and kick its feet. For a reason the paladin was never quite sure of, Morgan did not bring his sword down. Another flash of lightning, another glimpse of the creature, and a new, strange line of thought entering the paladins head.
Morgan began to remember the ancient legends, of how the original ruler of Hell, Satan, had originally been an angel. He remembered the story of the corrupted cherub taking the form of a mighty dragon and trying to overthrow the Throne of Heaven. He wasn't alone in his endeavors, he had many allies who wanted to rule. But, if there could be such a thing as a Fallen Angel, could there also, at least in some way, be a Risen Demon? A creature born of darkness who then grew to see the light?
Once more, lightning arched across the sky, this time much closer to where the paladin was, and he received a frighteningly clear image of the small being before him. His ears clearly picked up the crying, the sobbing, the simplistic plead for protection against the terrifying sounds. His eyes say the look of terror sprawled across the young demons face, saw the tiny limbs thrashing for the comfort of its mother. This was not a demonic beast to be banished back into the burning hells. This was not an unholy creature to be slain for the sake of the light. This was a baby for God's sake, a baby. Still not fully sure of what he was doing, Morgan lowered his sword.
The winds had picked up, the rain was coming down fast, and the bolts of lightning were nearly upon them. Morgan quickly realized that if he didn't act, the child would die. He sheathed his sword and knelt down, scooping the infant into his arms and quickly set back to the town. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped the young one in it, both to protect him from the elements and to keep his identity a secret.
The next day, Morgan, still keeping the child discreetly out of site of the townsfolk, boarded a caravan heading directly back to the paladin citadel. He was hopping to convince the elders to raise the small creature as a paladin, teaching him their ways and their beliefs. Morgan smiled as he gently bounced young Akakios (for that is what Morgan had decided to call him) on his knee. "I'm sure to get hell for this one," he murmured, pressing a bottle of baby food he had gotten from a local midwife to the hungry child's lips.
A small disturbance off to the side alerted the paladin to a creature he hadn't sensed earlier. He straitened, lifted the sword above his head, and crept towards a thick patch of grass, where he had seen something stir. He reached out with his mind, fondling the foliage with his senses, trying to detect what lay within. He realized it might be a trap, and kept throwing quick glances to the side to see if there lurked a creature with malicious intent.
The rain poured from the sky, drenching the earth in the fading twilight. The swirling pools of water, the tiny splashes of rain drops, the gurgle of miniature streams and waterfalls prevented the paladin from determining what lay ahead of him.
The paladin had finally made his way within a few feet of where he had seen something stir, and he still wasn't entirely sure what it was. It very well could be a rodent settling in for the night, but something just didn't feel right about it. He lowered his blade and prepared to stab into the middle of the clump of grass when he heard a soft moaning. Carefully, the paladin used the side of his weapon to move the grass away from the source of the sound, and saw a small creature curled up.
In the deepening gloom, it was at first impossible to tell what the creature was. A brief flash of lightning, however, gave the paladin enough light to see the scaly flesh and dark eyes of demonic offspring. The paladin lifted his sword and prepared to slash down to cut the life force from the small mortal shell of the beast, when thunder rolled across the land like barrels of bass sound. The demon, terrified of the rumbling, began to wail and kick its feet. For a reason the paladin was never quite sure of, Morgan did not bring his sword down. Another flash of lightning, another glimpse of the creature, and a new, strange line of thought entering the paladins head.
Morgan began to remember the ancient legends, of how the original ruler of Hell, Satan, had originally been an angel. He remembered the story of the corrupted cherub taking the form of a mighty dragon and trying to overthrow the Throne of Heaven. He wasn't alone in his endeavors, he had many allies who wanted to rule. But, if there could be such a thing as a Fallen Angel, could there also, at least in some way, be a Risen Demon? A creature born of darkness who then grew to see the light?
Once more, lightning arched across the sky, this time much closer to where the paladin was, and he received a frighteningly clear image of the small being before him. His ears clearly picked up the crying, the sobbing, the simplistic plead for protection against the terrifying sounds. His eyes say the look of terror sprawled across the young demons face, saw the tiny limbs thrashing for the comfort of its mother. This was not a demonic beast to be banished back into the burning hells. This was not an unholy creature to be slain for the sake of the light. This was a baby for God's sake, a baby. Still not fully sure of what he was doing, Morgan lowered his sword.
The winds had picked up, the rain was coming down fast, and the bolts of lightning were nearly upon them. Morgan quickly realized that if he didn't act, the child would die. He sheathed his sword and knelt down, scooping the infant into his arms and quickly set back to the town. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped the young one in it, both to protect him from the elements and to keep his identity a secret.
The next day, Morgan, still keeping the child discreetly out of site of the townsfolk, boarded a caravan heading directly back to the paladin citadel. He was hopping to convince the elders to raise the small creature as a paladin, teaching him their ways and their beliefs. Morgan smiled as he gently bounced young Akakios (for that is what Morgan had decided to call him) on his knee. "I'm sure to get hell for this one," he murmured, pressing a bottle of baby food he had gotten from a local midwife to the hungry child's lips.