Damsel in Distress?
"Saving Ying"
Fernando stopped in the face of an ancient temple in the lands of the East, the large cherry blossoms blooming before its mighty walls.
"They say there's an ancient monster that lives there that can destroy entire villages." an elven warrior spoke as he hid behind his shield, the same with his four companions.
"Enough with the superstitions." the constable of the town spoke, "Now the truth is, a traveling circus was kidnapped by a local criminal gang that made their headquarters here." he informed the knight, "If the warriors of the West are as great as we have heard they were, you may just save them all."
The knight scanned his surroundings and saw a break in the old temple walls, "Perhaps I can enter there, catch them unawares."
"Astute eye, foreigner." the elven constable said as he and his posse retreated, "Well, this is about as far as we can go." they ran to hide behind a large tree.
Fernando chuckled and walked towards the walls surrounding the temple, "I haven't seen such a strong wall since the great Lord Trumpinius of Sun Spire built his mighty barricade." he murmured and walked towards the opening.
Swift he entered, like the summer breeze or the daylight through an open window.
Only to be met by armed thieves ready to kill him.
"Well... I should have expected this." Fernando grumbled, then raised his shield when the thieves pounced to attack him, "HRAH!" he struck two of the thieves with his shield, then punched the third, and finally hit the fourth his shield again.
"Quick!" the first thief groaned and called out to another that had exited the temple proper, "Tell them to kill the hosta- DWAK!" he was knocked out by the knight and his shield.
The thief gasped as he saw Fernando finish off the rest of the watchmen and then ran back inside.
"Oh no, amigo." Fernando murmured and ran to follow him, bursting through the door with a powerful kick.
"DIE!" two thieves that were waiting behind the doors fired their arrows and struck the knight, only to be shocked when their arrows did not even pierce his armor.
"And just when you thought you were the sexiest one here." Fernando looked around and saw around 20 gang members surround him, "I showed up." he smirked and winked.
"HRAH!" the gang members yelled and mobbed him.
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"Sir!" a thief ran into the inner most room and looked up at an elf that was highly decorated with jewels, "There's a man! A foreigner!" he panted, "He's wrecking us!"
The thief boss grumbled, then heard the cries of his men outside, "Er! He can't get them!" he pointed to the traveling circus members, which were placed in makeshift cages at the far left corner.
"All of you! Barricade that door while we kill the hostages!" he said and got his two right-hand men and ran to the victims.
"Let's go!" the rest of the thieves yelled and started to pile things on the doors in hopes of stopping Fernando.
The knight punted the last thief and then set his sights on the doors that led to the temple's innermost chamber.
"That must be where the hostages are." he grumbled and ran up the steps that led up to the golden doors, "Hmm." he pushed on them but they did not budge.
"What's this?"
"He's on to us!" the thieves on the other side yelled and they started to place more stuff.
"Make sure he doesn't get in here!" the thief boss said and struck down a clown, "No funny business!" he struck down another.
Fernando growled as he tried to push the doors open, "Open this at once! I command you!" he yelled, "Sir Fernando will exact justice on you!" he gave a powerful push.
The doors budged slightly and caused some of the items that the thieves had set up to fall.
"We're out of stuff, sir!" a thief said as there was no more furniture to move around.
The thief boss growled as he heard the pushes of the knight from the other side, then scanned the room.
"Ah ha!" he pointed to a large statue at the far center of the room, "Put that giant black turtle thing! He'll never budge that!" he exclaimed.
"Sir... that looks like it's a billion pounds!" a thief groaned and was struck down by one of the right-hand men.
"Anyone else wanna gripe!?" the woman growled as she glared at the other thieves.
The thieves gasped and all ran to the statue, then used their combined might to try to lift it.
"HEAVE!" the yelled as they pulled up, "HO!"
"Let's get back to work!" the thief boss growled and struck down the ringmaster, then set his sights on the last member of the crew.
It was an elf woman, black hair, glowing white skin, a turquoise exotic dancer dress, and a glowing black mirror.
"Here, pretty..." the thief boss cackled and grabbed the bound elf by her ponytail, "Too bad there was a rescue for you..." he positioned his blade on her neck.
THUD!
A powerful crash sounded and the yells of the thieves resonated through the room.
"What in the hell!?" the thief boss turned to see that statue had tipped over and cracked, "What are you buffoons doin-" he paused when he heard further cracking.
The statue started to glow and the cracks started to multiply.
The ground shook as something powerful was rising from the black stone figure.
Fernando felt the tremors and pounded on the door, "Oye! Open up!" he kept pushing with all his might in an effort to open the doors.
The statue exploded in a burst of light.
The thieves fell back and to the ground as they were overcome by the power.
"What is going on!?" the thief boss groaned as the light died down, then turned to see a most horrifying sight.
It was a large turtle-like creature, holding a barnacle-laden anchor and a rusty chain.
The thieves stammered.
"KILL THE DAMN THING!" the thief bossed yelled.
The turtle creature turned to the boss, then launched his anchor and snagged the man.
The thieves gasped in horror as the turtle monster dragged their boss towards him and then grabbed him by the neck.
"Who are you to call upon such fury?" the monster spoke and then crushed the boss's neck, throwing him aside.
"RAH!" the right-hand men charged in anger and struck the turtle with their swords, only for their weapons to break upon impact with its scales.
"Your weapons do nothing to me!" the turtle raised his anchor and struck the two thieves, shattering their skulls and sending them flying towards their boss, "I am Makoa, the guardian of the seas... How dare you trespass on my domain!?" the monster glared at the thieves.
Fernando paused as he heard screams inside the room.
"What is going on in there!?" he yelled and then ran a few steps back, "COMING THROUGH!" he charged with his shield first.
CRASH! The knight burst through the barricade with power, then looked up to see a shocking sight.
All the thieves had been slain, not one was left alive.
"Dios mio..." Fernando murmured, then heard the faint struggles of the elf woman, "Huh!?" he turned to face her, "Oh no!" he ran and attended the woman.
The elf cried as the knight released her.
"Help!" she was ungagged, "We have to get out of here!" she warned.
"My lady! Please!" Fernando tried to calm her down, "I am Sir Fernando! I am here to save you!" he grinned and pulled out a rose.
"AHHHH!" the elf screamed as a shadow loomed over them.
"Worry not! There is no reason to be af-" Fernando paused when he noticed that shadow was not his, "Uh..." he slowly turned around to see the large turtle creature standing behind him.
"YOU DARE VIOLATE MY SACRED REALM!?" Makoa roared and struck Fernando with his anchor, sending the man flying to the wall.
"ARGH!" the knight groaned in pain, "Ah... Ah..." he panted, then saw Makoa jump inside his shell and roll towards him at an alarming speed.
"No!" he stood up and stepped out of the way, "My lady!" he ran to the elf.
Makoa struck the wall and jumped out, "Hrrr..." he growled and saw Fernando pick up the elf, "You two will pay for your transgression!" he launched his anchor.
"HNGH!" Fernando and the elf were constricted by the chain and yanked towards the beast, "Watch out!" the knight took the subsequent blow.
"UNGH!" the man fell to the ground.
"Ah!" the elf fell out his grasp, "Stop!" she cried out when Makoa turned to her, "Please! I am but a humble dancer!" she wept and closed her eyes.
"HRMPH!" Fernando tackled Makoa and sent the turtle sliding back, "My lady!" he saw he stunned the monster, "First, what is your name. Second, here!" he handed her the rose and picked her up.
"Ying!" the elf told him as they exited the room, "I am Ying! Thank you!" she exclaimed.
Suddenly, they stopped.
"FACE ME!" Makoa pulled the two back with a great force.
"NO!" Fernando threw Ying before they face the turtle again, "DAH!" he was struck by the anchor, "HNGH!" he turned and caught the second strike before it hit him.
"HRRR!" Makoa tried to overpower the knight.
"HAH!" Fernando kicked the turtle in the chest area and sent him flying back, "You will see a true weapon, amigo!" he ran raise his lance and fired a flame.
Makoa stepped back in shock.
"What is this element!?" he gasped and tried to avoid the fire at all costs.
"Ying! Get out!" Fernando noticed the woman was still behind him, "You must be safe!"
Ying murmured, "I can't leave you!"
"GO!" Fernando responded as his fire crystal tired, then the flames died down.
Makoa saw that the fire died down, "A coward move to hide behind that hot blanket!" he rolled into his shell and struck Fernando with a powerful blow that nearly shattered the man's legs.
"AGHH!" Fernando yelled as he was flipped over and crashed on the ground.
Ying gasped and teleported before Makoa struck her, "Fernando!" she hovered over to the man, who was barely recovering.
"Are you alright?" she held him tight.
"I am- YING!" Fernando saw Makoa throw out his anchor.
"AH!" Ying screamed and was violently yanked back.
"HRAH!" Makoa grabbed the elf by the collar, "I will cr-'
"NO!" Fernando yelled and charged at the turtle, "YING!" he wrestled Makoa for the woman, "LET GO OF HER!"
"NO!" Makoa struggled against the man's might but lost his grip on the woman.
"Ah!" Ying tumbled to the ground.
Fernando used this opportunity to uppercut Makoa into the wall, "You monster!" he punched Makoa so hard that his shell cracked.
"ARGH!" Makoa bellowed, then his eyes started to glow, "You... YOU CHALLENGE MAKOA?!" he suddenly gained an incredible surge of mystical power that sent the knight flying back.
"Agh!" Fernando hit the ground but stood up a few moments after.
"RAHHH!" Makoa roared and raised his anchor, then furiously struck the man in his chest.
"DWAK." Fernando had the wind knocked out of his body, his chestplate completely scrapped, and blood was coming out of his mouth.
"HRAH!" Makoa struck the man in the arm, shattering the man's right shoulder in one fell swoop, "Take this!" he then struck the knight again and sent him flying back into the large statue room.
"Fernando!" Ying cried out in horror as she saw the turtle creature lumber in to follow him.
Fernando groaned in pain and looked up to see Makoa raise his anchor.
"My... my..." he groaned and was then struck in the chest once more, "My lady!" he caught a glimpse of Ying.
"CWAK!" he coughed up more blood.
Makoa's power subsided as he noticed he had bested his opponent, then he stomped on the knight with his left foot.
"The sea claims you, mortal." he murmured.
"Fernando!" Ying charged forward, causing the turtle to turn and face her.
"Hrph." Makoa grunted and then whacked the incoming Ying, only to have it explode in a shower of petals that stunned him.
"Huh!?" he groaned as he fumbled about.
Ying appeared and struck Makoa with a magical beam from her mirror.
"You will pay for your attack!" she aimed again, only to gasp when the turtle threw out his anchor.
"HRA!" Makoa snagged the elf and grabbed her once more, "You have pestered me long enough!" he squeezed her neck.
"Ah... Ah..." Ying whimpered, then looked at Fernando, "We... are stronger... together..." she conjured up a magical ball of petals.
Fernando groaned and opened his eyes as the ball started to emanate an aura of healing power, "Eh..." he shook his head, then saw Makoa aiming to kill Ying.
"No! No!" he stood up with his new found strength and punched Makoa.
"DWAH!" Makoa was sent flying back, releasing Ying in the attack.
"HRAH!" Fernando roared and tackled the turtle creature, breaking through the wall of the temple until they ended up outside.
Makoa roared and bit Fernando in the shoulder, causing the knight to release him.
"Take this!" he raised his anchor, but his swing was caught.
"Not today, amigo!" Fernando kicked Makoa again, then tackled him one more time.
"Ra- HWAHH!" the turtle monster yelled as he was pushed off into a fast flowing river, "AHHHH!" he was swept away by the currents and disappeared from sight.
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The knight groaned as he was now in the nearby village's inn, holding his shoulder in pain as he came out of his room.
Ying walked out with his rose.
"Thank you, Fernando." she smiled and looked up to her hero, "I'll never forget you."
Fernando grinned, "I want to retire, but seeing the smiling faces of beautiful damsels keeps me in the job." he chuckled and sighed, "But it may take me a while to recover from this fight." he looked at his chest, which was bandaged and bloody.
Ying frowned, "I am so sorry I brought you into that situation..." she mumbled.
"It's fine." the knight responded and held her shoulder, "As long as I saved you, it is all fine." he grinned brightly.
The elf hovered up to his face and kissed him, then brought the knight inside the room and closed the door.