Lian's Peculiar Journey: Starlight Paladins
Chapter 13
Progress in Leaps and Bounds
Sarah sighed as she brushed Lian's hair while the princess was asleep, moving her delicate hands over the wool white locks and humming as she did so.
Lex stood watching them from across the campfire while Zhin was fast asleep on the ground behind him.
"Isn't she so beautiful?" Sarah asked from the blue and patted Lian's cheek.
Lex was taken back by the question.
"It is not in my place to say such things." He responded and stretched out his arms to warm his hands in the fire.
Sarah nodded and looked back at Lian.
"Have you ever made a sacrifice, Lex?" she asked.
"Plenty. Too many for me to be proud of." Lex answered, "Though there were some good sacrifices here and there." He mumbled and looked at the ground.
"I remember when I was sent out to capture a notorious assaulter." He said, "I barely started out as a Judge, and I was thrown to a case to get the bounty on an ork that had seized women. I made the sacrifice of catching the ork while his victim was tied to railroad tracks and…."
"I made a couple of sacrifices in my long life." Sarah said.
"Long life?" Lex looked at her with a hint of skepticism.
"I may look young, but I can be your mother." Sarah chuckled and looked at the fire as well.
"and I can say my sister sacrificed much as well for power… for greed…. For a delusion and an obsession that consumed her soul."
"Hmmmm… That is how many criminals start off." Lex pondered.
"My sister is on another level… I could never believe she would be alright with killing innocent people that have nothing to do with her." Sarah let out some tears, "I hate her so much."
"Channel that hatred into zeal." Lex murmured, "Hatred on its own is a terrible force of drive, but Zeal… I believe Zeal is one of the most powerful forces to have. It gives purpose for a cause greater than one's self. You see, when I was starting off as a judge, I hated the criminal scum on a personal level, but once I grew, I made it my personal oathbound duty to eradicate all evil."
Sarah nodded.
"Wise words from someone so young." She giggled and brushed Lian's hair with her hand.
"On your past question." Lex looked to the side, "While I am dedicated to the Law first and foremost, I must admit that as a man… she is rather… pleasing to the eyes."
"Remember that she's royalty, perhaps her parents wouldn't want her to court someone of your social standing." Sarah said.
"Again, it is mere infatuation." Lex shook his head, "I am a man of the Law, that is first in my heart and mind."
"You're a great man, Lex."
"You're a good man, Charlie Lex." Zhin's voice sounded from behind the enforcer.
"Regardless, I'm sure Lian's parents would find many great things in you that may make them overlook your status." Sarah nodded.
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The four continued to travel through a magical forest populated with beautiful trees with leaves of many colors.
"We must be in the Thousand Acre Woods." Sarah spoke as she jumped over a fallen log, "It's a magical forest filled with childhood wonders."
"Do we look like children?" Zhin asked as he looked at the colorful canopy, "I've had enough from that Brightmarsh trip, I almost wanted to cut that stupid vulpin alchemist in two for almost stealing my luggage."
"That was not the same thing." Lian spoke, "Those little dogs were thieves and purloiners. This seems more peaceful and calm." She took a deep breath of the crisp forest air.
The four ventured deeper into the woods, following the barely visible dirt trail that cut through some of the environment.
"The village of Mixiao, part of the Leipori Reservation." Zhin stopped to read a nearby sign that was covered in moss.
"The Leipori, huh?" Lex mumbled as the four ventured into the vicinity of a small town dotted by Hobbit-esque style homes that seemed to grow out of the earth.
"I've heard of them. Simple creatures, not too much to say about them." He looked around and saw some small rabbit-like beings walk about.
"Very docile and innocent. They are like children."
Lian saw that the Leipori were looking at them like they were giants among the land.
"Now these are some cute creatures. Can I buy one and keep it in my garden?" she looked at one.
"They are not pets, Lian." Sarah scolded her, "They are sentient beings." She saw one of the Leipori walk towards them.
"W-w-welcome… Strangers…" the leipori timidly spoke, "A-Are you from the Magistrate?"
"No." Lian responded.
"Well… The Magistrate offered us peace and solitude from others except their official representation." The leipori looked down, "So may we please kindly ask you to leave? There is another trail that leads around through the forest that can take you to wherever you need."
Lex turned to face his allies.
"I believe it is best. The Magistrate has decreed that these reservations be free of outsiders to keep the Leipori safe. It is in the Law." He informed them.
"But I am an official of the Magistrate." He turned to the Leipori gathered in front of him, "I am a Sheriff of the Outer Tribunal and I must use the trail that goes through your village to deliver these witnesses in the most expedient manner." He showed what appeared the town leader his badge.
The town leader jumped up to grab the badge and then inspected it, moving his thick glasses.
"We do not need to re-stock supplies or rest, we can move through your village without disturbing anyone." Lian added.
"Actually, we do need your help, Mr. Sheriff sir." A female Leipori came up, "I…"
"Should we tell him?" the town leader asked her, "Do you think they would do something to her…"
"What can I be of service for?" Lex knelt in front of the town leader as to match to their size, "It seems you are troubled."
"We have one among us who we sadly had to… keep away." The town leader nervously said.
"Imprison?"
"N-n-n-no!" the town leader shook his head, making his ears flop around, "It's… just we really did need to separate… her…"
"She has caused nothing but trouble ever since she had that creature with her." Another leipori shook, "She's dangerous!"
"What is going on here?" Lex sternly asked the town leader.
"We need you to take away one of our villagers to a prison." The town leader nervously said, "She is causing too much problems here… She's destroyed food, houses, and even the forest."
"Hmmm…." Lex pondered.
"That should be destruction of private property, no?" Sarah asked the sheriff.
"But its not enough to imprison her…" Lex responded, "At most it's a fine that's four times the price of what was lost."
"Can you just see her?" the town leader asked worriedly, "Please."
"I guess I can give her a stern talking to." Lex sighed and looked at Lian, "Though with the language you gave that elf, I think you may be a better candidate for that." He chuckled and patted the princess' shoulder.
"Please, follow me." The town leader said as he led them and whatever leipori followed to a nearby home that was by a pond and reinforced with various wooden barricades.
"Wow… you'd think this rabbit had rabies…" Zhin commented at the sheer amount of fortifications the house had.
"What exactly has this young leipori done?" Lex asked as he stood by the heavily locked door.
"She said she found this spirit animal… she called it a familiar." One of the leipori women said, "But everytime she points at it, no one sees it. Then she gets upset and bad things happen, some invisible thing just hurts things."
Sarah pondered.
"Alright." Lex nodded and looked at the small door, "What's her name?"
"Moji." The town leader responded, "She's a younger member of our village."
"Very well." Lex said, "Moji! I'm Sheriff Lex from the Outer Tribunal!" he yelled, "You're not in any trouble, I just wish to speak to you! I'm going to open the door and I want you to come out slowly and quietly!"
The enforcer booted down the door with one simple kick.
He and his four allies looked inside the dark hole that was behind the door. A cool breeze drifted out from within the house.
Lex gasped when he saw a moving figure, but saw that it was just a mouse.
"What is that?" Lian peered in, and a small red figure came out from the shadows.
It was a leipori in a dark blue coat and thick soda bottle glasses covering her eyes. She had a magician's hat of the same color on her head and a leather bandana covering half her face.
"Moji?" Lex asked.
"You wanted to talk to me?" the leipori timidly asked, "Mr. Lawman?"
"Hmmm… She doesn't look like she would hurt a fly." Zhin commented at the leipori's unusually timid personality.
"Why are we wasting our time with this?"
"I want to know what exactly is going on here." Lex asked the small leipori, "You are being accused of crimes that will cost you quite a sum of money. I want to hear your side of the story." He told her.
"If my people wouldn't believe me, I don't think you humans would…" Moji grumbled and looked down to the ground.
"Please, let her go!" a voice called out from the leipori crowds, and an old male leipori came out.
"She didn't do anything wrong! Let my daughter go!"
"Dad!" Moji looked at the leipori and tried to run towards him.
"I'm going to need to you stand back!" Lex said and grabbed a hold of Moji, "This is an active investigation!"
"My daughter did nothing wrong!"
"Stand back!" Lex pushed the leipori back, but due to the size difference the action seemed harsher than it should have been.
"Dad! Why you!" Moji growled and bit Lex's arm with her rabbit teeth.
"AGH!" Lex yelled and stepped back, "Assaulting an officer is a serious crime!" he yelled.
"Get away from my dad!" Moji yelled.
A form started to appear behind her.
The four Paladins gasped in shock as the form revealed itself to be a two headed lizard creature.
"Familiar! Attack!" Moji pointed at Lex, and what was a docile looking lizard transformed its two heads into a stone pillar that struck the enforcer like a bat.
"UWAH!" Lex yelled as he was knocked into a nearby tree.
"What was that!?" the leipori screamed and started to run away.
"Take this!" Moji said and caused her lizard being to turn into a boulder, then made it roll towards Lex like a bowling ball.
"What the-" Lex growled and jumped to the side, avoiding the boulder, "You have just attacked The Law!" he called out his stand.
The lizard being returned back to its original two headed form.
The Law aimed its arm cannon and fired at it.
The lizard, however, turned to sand and avoided the blasts, then shot itself as grainy pellets into Lex's face.
"That must be her stand!" Lian said, "I'll take care of this! Power Khan!"
"RAH!" Power Khan appeared and loomed over the small leipori.
"Uh oh…." Moji trembled before the powerful stand.
"Po-Li!"
The lizard creature appeared out from a pile of sand and then transformed into a giant stone golem.
"What the hell!?" Zhin said, "What is up with this stand!?"
"It must be a shapeshifter, but only with stone!" Sarah responded, "I can't melt stone with fire!" she said and called Furious Flame away.
"Stone means nothing to my power." Lian chuckled, "Power Khan!"
Power Khan raised its fist and punched Po-Li in the chest, cracking the stone in one fell blow.
"AH!" Moji fell back in pain.
"Po-Li!" she made the stand turn to sand, which made it avoid the other punches thrown by Power Khan.
"Spear!"
Po-Li turned into a sharp piece of wood and stabbed Power Khan in the shoulder.
"Agh!" Lian winced and saw a hole appear on her shoulder.
"It can turn into wood too?" Sarah gasped, "Well at least now its vulnerable! Furious Flame!" he angelic stand came out.
"I'll cut it to bits!" Zhin called out Thousand Hands, and the two stands charged at Po-Li.
"Po-Li!" Moji gasped and turned her stand back into a pile of sand.
"Damn it!" Zhin snarled as the sand evaded his blade.
"You won't escape me!" Sarah said and made Furious Flame blast the sand with fire, causing a part of it to turn to glass.
"What!?" Moji felt her right arm become paralyzed, "I can't move my arm!"
Po-Li reformed and showed that its front right leg had turned to glass, which it then transformed back into sand and then its leg proper.
"Oh no!" the leipori saw Lex regain his eyesight.
"The Law!" Lex pointed at the leipori and took out his stand, "Open fire!"
The Law fired a fury of shots at Moji.
Moji transformed Po-Li into a stone wall to absorb the bullets.
"I have you now!" Lian said as she saw Moji was exposed and grabbed her with Power Khan.
"HWEEK!" Moji squeaked as she was crushed by Power Khan's massive hand, but called back Po-Li as a giant metal golem.
Po-Li swung at Power Khan, hitting it in the face.
"Agh!" Lian fell to the ground after the blow to the face, "Why you-"
"It's metal, let me handle this!" Sarah stepped up, "Incinerate it!" she called out Furious Flame, which called down a beam of fire from the sky.
Moji made Po-Li block it, but the sheer heat was starting to melt its arms.
"Po-Li! Sand!"
The stand turned into a pile of sand, but it was turned to glass immediately, paralyzing Moji entirely.
"Pyre Bind!" Sarah said and made Furious Flame shoot out a whip of fire, which wrapped around the emerging Po-Li and bound it together.
"Now no matter what element you chose, you cannot escape! With metal you will melt, with sand you will turn to glass, with wood you will burn, and with stone… well… Lian is here to break you down."
Lian smirked and looked at the leipori.
"We tried being reasonable with you, Moji." Lex appeared from behind and picked up the paralyzed leipori.
"Please, I didn't mean any harm!" Moji cried, "No one understood me with this familiar… I just didn't like being separated from anyone! I didn't like feeling alone…"
Sarah murmured and looked into Moji's soul, where she saw only sadness.
"Hmmm…" she said and released Po-Li from its binds.
Po-Li retracted back into Moji.
"Can you see my familiar?" Moji asked them.
"Yes, because it is not one." Sarah walked up to her, "It is called a stand, and you have a very versatile one, I may add."
"Really?"
"Yes… And I know how you must feel when you were the only one with one." Sarah continued, "Since no one except other stand users can see them. You see, I spent years wandering with my own stand, until I met these great people. Now we all found a common purpose in our lives: using our stands to combat evil. I know you had no ill will towards anyone, not even Lex, and I want to ask you… do you want to use that stand, or familiar, of yours to help stop something evil?"
Moji mumbled uneasily.
"W-W-What is it…?" she stammered.
"It's an evil woman who plans on taking over The World." Sarah informed, "We would be very thankful if you helped us. You can do many great things with that stand of yours, I know it." She smiled softly.
"O-O-Ok!" Moji covered her face bashfully, "I do want to help! I… I…. am just so nervous."
"Don't worry, we can help you overcome that!" Sarah booped her nose, "We are a team! A team you are now a part of, Moji!"
Lex set the leipori down on the ground.
"Welcome, Moji." Zhin nodded and waved his hand at her.
"Hey there." Lian grinned and patted her head.
"You are wise to choose the path of good and the Law." Lex gave her a thumbs up, "Sorry about your father."
"N-No problem, Mr. Lawman!" Moji chuckled.
"Call me Lex." Lex told her.
"I'm Lian." Lian added.
"I'm Zhin." Zhin continued.
"And I'm Sarah." Sarah finished as they gathered around her, "My stand is called Furious Flame, Zhin's is called Thousand Hands, Lian's is Power Khan, and Lex's is The Law. What is yours?"
Moji made her stand appeared.
"I guess with all the silly mayhem it caused…. I think I will call you NOTORIOUS PO I. LI." She grinned and pet her lizard ally, "Or maybe just Po-Li…."
"I like either. Very creative." Lian commented, "Oh, you are just so cute!" she picked up the leipori.
Moji giggled and raised her hands up, finding joy in her new friends.