The Light touches us even down here
By ComicsFan7314
Chapter 3: Back from the Dead
The vestal was kneeling next to Reynauld's bloodstained body, sobbing loudly while vainly trying to heal the seemly deceased crusader.
"Wake up Reynauld! Please wake up!" Junia cried in-between choked wails and mumbled healing prayers. She pounded her fists on the crimson-soaked floor, Reynauld was dead.
Suddenly, Junia felt something hot growing close to her face. "What do we have here?" the callous reprobate said in a sinister tone.
Junia gulped hard and went pale as the heavily scarred brigand breathed in her ear. "Damn, you're looking real good right now girly…" the menacing thug said as he lecherously licked his chops, his breath reeking of garlic and cheap booze. Junia had to do something. She couldn't just sit there and let this monster have his way with her.
"Leave me alone, you brute!" the nun shouted while frantically swinging her mace. However, every time Junia tried to hit the bloodletter, she missed. Spitting on the brigand probably would have more effective than her strikes.
As the vestal was about to deliver another failed blow, the bloodletter grabbed Junia's arm, stopping her attack dead in its tracks. He then started to squeeze, hard, causing the nun to yelp in pain, dropping the weapon.
"Now, are you going to be a good girl and do what you are told or do you really want to lose your arm?" the bloodletter asked menacingly.
Junia said nothing in response, but the brigand showed mercy for once and let go of her arm which caused the vestal to fall on to the dirt and blood covered ground.
The brigand's mercy was short-lived however, as he soon returned to tormenting the vestal. The brutal thug violently yanked Junia's cowl off her head, her brown curls cascading down to her armor.
"You one of them vestals of the Holy Light?" the villain snarled. "Had a couple of them before, the best part about them is the way they scream as you do it." the horrible man chuckled evilly. "Only problem is the way they bitch and moan about their "virginity" and their "chastity" once you're done, so I've learnt to slit their throats after. They stay quiet that way." the brigand explained.
Junia could not believe what she was hearing. Was he bragging about raping and killing sisters of the Light and was she going to be his next victim?
The vestal frantically searched around the room for a way to escape, but sadly, could not find any. She was trapped in a room with the bodies of her dead friends, the man who murdered them and he was now going to kill her as well.
The villain started to slowly approach Junia, the stomping of his boots echoing against the dungeon walls. CLOMP, CLOMP, CLOMP!
Junia, still sitting on the floor, moved away from the brigand by crawling with her arms behind her back, facing towards the rogue, trying to escape his advances by any means possible.
Since she was not looking where she was going, Junia inevitably tripped over something, that something being the body of Reynauld. Upon tripping on the knight's body, Junia stopped her escape attempt and instead began sadly caressing the crusader's face before resting her head on his chest. If she was going to die, she preferred to die alongside the man she loved.
Reynauld's helmet had fallen off after he had gotten shot, revealing his facial scars and graying beard. Yet somehow even in death, his handsome face brought peace to Junia's troubled soul.
Junia heard a booming, mocking voice from behind her.
"Aw, was he your boyfriend?" taunted the towering brute. "Well too bad! I'm your boyfriend now!" the brigand let out a filthy laugh as he continued his advance on the vestal.
Then the unthinkable happened, Junia heard a heartbeat.
Reynauld quickly jumped to his feet, causing Junia to fall to the ground. The knight was covered in blood and was staggering a bit as he stood up. His face however, had an extremely angry and determined look about it. Reynauld took a few labored breathes before shouting at the brigand.
"Get away from her, you bastard!"
Reynauld charged at the brigand with all of his remaining strength and stabbed the muscular bandit through the chest, piercing his heart.
"Their cursed champion falls!"
The now-deceased brute fell to his knees before collapsing face first on the ground with a loud thud.
Reynauld was not finished however, and began to fervently kick the corpse, all while cussing out the dead fiend.
"You…"
"Fat piece of…"
"Son of a …"
Junia stood in shock at Reynauld's behavior. "He's never been this violent before and he is using such filthy language, this is so unlike him!"
Eventually, the adrenaline in Reynauld's body dissipated and he stopped kicking the brigand's body. The knight collapsed on the floor once again.
"Reynauld!" cried Junia as she ran to hold him up.
"Junia?" asked the injured crusader, delirious from the gunshot. "Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me." Junia replied with a smile.
Reynauld reciprocated with a feeble smile of his own before hissing in pain.
"C-can you help me, sister? The wound is starting to fester."
Junia leaned Reynauld against the wall before retrieving a wash cloth, bandages and a waterskin from her pack. She removed Reynauld's armor and his undershirt, poured some water on the cloth, and began to clean the knight's wounds.
As Junia tended to Reynauld's injury, she couldn't help but stare at his muscular figure. The Light clearly blessed him physically. Junia bit her lip in stifled desire at the sight of Reynauld's well-toned chest. It would be so easy to undo his trousers and…what was she thinking?! This wasn't the time for that!
Junia shook the lustful thoughts out of her head and concentrated on washing the crusader.
"Reynauld, how did you know I was in trouble?" she asked.
"Well, after I got shot, it seemed like the entire world went dark for a while, before I could suddenly see and hear again but I couldn't move an inch." replied the crusader.
"And did you happen to hear what that brute was saying to me?" asked Junia.
"Every single word, I'm afraid. You know, that was the worst part of it all, not that I might die of my injuries, but the idea that you would be hurt by that animal and I couldn't do anything about it."
Reynauld sighed. "Sometimes people are worse than the monsters."
Dismas's head was spinning even more so than it had been earlier. All he could remember was that giant bastard throwing him and Audrey aside and then nothing. The highwayman stumbled to his feet in a daze. Once his vision cleared, Dismas saw Audrey, lying in the same pile of skulls he was in, a trickle of blood coming from her mouth.
Dismas began to fear the worse, that Audrey was dead and that he would never been able to confess his feelings to the graverobber.
The rogue started to shake the blond woman's comatose body and called her name.
"Audrey? Audrey? Audrey!"
"Huh? Dismas…Where am I?" Audrey said groggily as she opened her eyes.
"Shh, you're with me, it's okay, you're safe for now." replied Dismas.
"Ugh, my head is killing me. What happen?" asked Audrey, gripping her head in pain.
"We were fighting the enemy, when the big bastard picked both of us up and tossed us here." explained the highwayman.
"Is Junia at least okay?" inquired Audrey, worried about the vestal.
"Yes, I am fine." a feminine voice called out from the corner of the room.
"Junia!" the roguish duo cried.
As the pair approached the nun, they noticed that she was washing a barely conscious Reynauld.
"Reynauld, you're alive!" remarked Audrey and Dismas.
"If I don't get help soon, I won't be." grumbled the crusader.
"Don't be that way, Reynauld." rebuked Junia, somewhat offended by the comment. "I have already cleaned and bandaged your wound and I have said a prayer to the light for your speedy recovery, so you should be fine, at least until we get back to the hamlet."
The vestal couldn't stay mad at the knight however, and her stern frown soon turned into a warm smile as she stared deep into Reynauld's blue eyes.
This subtle display of affection was lost on Audrey but not on Dismas. Junia did not know that he knew of the pair's secret relationship, but after pondering it for a bit, the highwayman decided it was time to inform the vestal of his knowledge.
"How are feeling, Reynauld?" asked Dismas, hoping to get some alone time with Junia.
"Better I guess, I think I can sit up a little." replied Reynauld.
"Good, good, good…Junia, do you mind if I have a word with you?" said Dismas, quickly changing the topic.
"Um, sure I guess." replied the priestess, unsure how to respond to the highwayman's strange request.
The two headed out of the room to discuss matters in private, leaving the injured crusader and the graverobber to their own devices.
The vestal and highwayman made their way down the hall before turning into a small, abandoned alcove.
Junia crossed her arms and gave the roguish man a somewhat annoyed look. "Okay, Dismas, what's so important that you dragged me over here?"
"I suppose there is no beating around the bush." Dismas sighed. "I know of your relationship with Reynauld."
Junia went pale and began sweating bullets. How much did Dismas know? How did he know? Was he planning on ratting her and Reynauld out to the heir or worse, the Church?
"I-I don't know what you are talking about, Dismas." Junia denied nervously.
"There's no point in lying, sister. It is best that you come clean." Dismas said with grave seriousness in his voice.
Those words haunted Junia, they were the very same that the bishop used when he confronted her about her "sinning" and used again just before she was sent off to the hamlet as punishment for her actions.
"A-alright!" Junia shouted a bit as tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I admit it! I-I love him! I love him with every fiber of my being! Is that so wrong?!"
"Wow Junia, I had no idea you felt so passionately about him." said Dismas, stunned at the vestal's answer.
"Well, it's true." sniffled Junia. "I love him so much."
The two stood quietly, neither one wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. Finally, Junia spoke.
"D-Dismas, how d-did you know about Reynauld and I?"
"I had my suspicions, and Reynauld confirmed them earlier today." the highwayman responded.
"Reynauld told you?" replied Junia.
"Yes, I spoke to him this morning, and he told me that you two spent the night together." Dismas said.
Junia felt her heart drop. Why would Reynauld betray her trust like that? Was it because she ran away earlier?
"Did Reynauld tell you anything else?" the nun asked.
"Well…he asked me not to tell anyone else." Dismas said. "And I promise you, Junia, the only people who will know about this will be you, me, and Reynauld, nobody else.
The vestal remained unsure of the highwayman's promise. While Reynauld trusted Dismas and considered him a friend, Junia barely knew him, and given his background, she was not sure if he was trustworthy.
"I appreciate your help, Dismas" said Junia, still unsure about the highwayman's motive.
You can count on me, sister." Dismas responded with confidence.
The two started to head back to the others, walking side by side.
When they arrived back, they found Audrey sitting in the center of dungeon, crouching down, observing the ground.
"Good news you two." The graverobber declared to Junia and Dismas as she stood up to face the pair. Audrey narrowed her eyes at Junia with a look of suspicion. "I have surveyed the area and found that there no were no other enemies, so it probably best to head back to the hamlet so that "Shining" over there can get help for his wound."
"I resent that!" the crusader cried from the back of the room.
Audrey rolled her eyes in response before continuing with what she was going to say. "Let's just grab our things and get the hell out of here." The graverobber gave Junia another harsh glare as she turned to gather her stuff.
As she organized her and Reynauld's packs, Junia couldn't help but keep thinking about the way Audrey looked at her. "What's her problem?" the vestal thought to herself. "We've gotten along fine before, but now she is hostile for some reason? It doesn't make any sense."
The adventurers found a way to exit the hellish ruins and were now in the walking down the Old Road on their way back to the Hamlet. Junia was busy helping Dismas carry Reynauld, but her mind kept coming back to Audrey, who was leading the group in place of Reynauld. The two's eyes met. Audrey responded to this by turning her nose up at the nun before continuing on her way. Junia said nothing in response and just hung her head low.
When the crew finally made their way back to the hamlet, they immediately went for the sanatorium. The infirmary's wooden door flung open as the heroes dragged their injured friend to the front desk.
The nurse on-call for that day was Nurse Brigitte, a sister like Junia, but of the Order of the Healing Light, a group of sisters who were noteworthy for healing injured soldiers on the battlefield. Brigitte herself was well known among the heroes for her brusque bedside manner but also for her quick and effective healing methods.
"What do you lot want?" Brigitte rudely asked.
"I-it's our friend! He is hurt, you have to help him!" Junia cried.
"Keep your girdle on, sister!" snarled Brigitte, annoyed by Junia's hysterics. "Let's get him on a bed."
Reynauld hissed in pain as he lay upon the lumpy old cot.
"So, what seems to be the problem? asked Brigitte.
"What's the problem?!" repeated Junia, incredulous. "He's been shot!"
"Brigands?" grumbled Brigitte, ignoring Junia.
"Brigands." Dismas responded in Junia's place.
"Well, bullet removal is hardly my specialty, let me call over our traumatic surgery expert. In the meantime, I will exchange his dressings for fresh ones."
"Worry not! I am here!" an unseen voice cried behind a surgical screen. The figure's silhouette had a prominent bird-like beak to it, so it was instantly clear who the "surgical expert" was.
"Paracelsus, you work here?" asked Junia.
"Indeed." answered the plague doctor. "The sanatorium provides an excellent environment for my medical studies."
"So Reynauld has been shot." said Paracelsus.
"Yes, and he will die if we don't get any help!" clamored Junia.
"Let me take a look at him." the plague doctor said as she took off the crusader's armor. She poked the crusader's wound, which caused him to yelp in pain.
"Do you really have to do that?!" moaned Reynauld.
Paracelsus did not respond to the knight's complaints and continued to examine him.
"The bullet did not strike any bone or internal organs, but it did come dangerously to doing so, he will need extensive surgery to have it removed." Paracelsus declared while reaching to her surgeon's bag and pulling out a sharp-looking scalpel. "I can't remember if this is the clean one or not." Paracelsus thought aloud.
"W-wait! Aren't you going to sedate me first?" questioned a panicked Reynauld.
"Ahh, right…Nurse!" shouted Paracelsus. This prompted Brigitte to take a cloth soaked in ethyl alcohol and chloroform and hold it under Reynauld's nose, causing the crusader to pass out within a few minutes.
"So how long will the surgery take?" asked Dismas.
"About four hours." replied Paracelsus.
"He'll pull through right? Reynauld will survive?" Junia asked desperately. Paracelsus simply shrugged her shoulders and grunted "I don't know."
The wait was excruciating. Audrey, Dismas and Junia were all anxiously sitting in the lobby, though it resembled more of a stable than a waiting room. Junia sat on a wooden crate, deep in devout prayer. The vestal's hands trembled profusely, causing the prayer beads she held to shake violently. "D-divine Light, please help our f-friend Reynauld recover." she mumbled.
Dismas placed a comforting hand on Junia's shoulder. "He is going to be alright, Junia." He whispered softy. The vestal gave a small grin in response.
"Ahem!"
The two turned to see Audrey, sitting with her arms crossed, and glaring at them with a wide frown on her face.
Paracelsus entered the lobby, her trademark outfit now stained with blood. "Is Reynauld okay, doctor? Junia frantically asked.
"Well, he is in a great deal of pain, but that is nothing a bit of laudanum can't fix. However, the surgery to remove the bullet itself was successful, though Reynauld will be out of commission and unable to fight for at least a week or two."
"Oh Light! Thank you for answering my prayers!" Junia cheered.
Paracelsus rolled her eyes. "Please. Your phony Light didn't do anything. It is all thanks to science that your friend lived."
"One more quip like that and you won't have a place to do your precious "research". Got that, missy?!" barked Brigitte, clearly offended by the plague doctor's lack of faith.
"Can we please see him?" begged Junia.
"Fine, but be quiet, there are other patients here, you know." muttered Brigitte as she injected a moaning patient with some mysterious concoction.
The trio made their way to the bed when Reynauld was resting. The crusader had a wide scar across the length of his abdomen, held together only by a thin suture and covered by a white cloth bandage.
"Reynauld, you're okay!" cried the vestal as she hugged the knight tightly. Perhaps a bit too tightly as the crusader groaned in pain from the embrace.
"Oops, sorry Reynauld." Junia apologized sheepishly.
"Remember, stitches." reminded the knight.
"But it's great that you're alive, Reynauld." said Junia. "Isn't it great, Dismas?"
"It sure is!" chirped Dismas, sporting a proud smile. The nun and highwayman's eyes shone with elated joy over their friend's recovery. The graverobber's eyes however, burned with jealousy and anger. Junia was becoming too close to her man and she had to do something about it.
"Dismas!" said Audrey, raising her voice. "Come on, let's go." she grumbled.
"But I haven't-" Dismas begun to protest.
"NOW!" the graverobber shouted, grabbing the highwayman's wrist and pulling him towards the exit, slamming the weighty doors behind them.
As she watched Audrey and Dismas leave the sanatorium, Junia gave a heavy sigh.
"What was that about?" inquired Reynauld, still groggy from the anesthetic and morphine.
"I-It's nothing, dear." assured Junia. "I'm just so glad you survive." The priestess said with a small smile.
Junia remained by Reynauld's bedside for hours, entertaining him by reading scripture passages aloud and even spoon-fed him some beef and vegetable broth for supper. However, being in public, the couple couldn't express their feelings for each other the way they wanted to and had to act as just a sister treating a patient.
The sun dipped beyond the horizon and the moon soon took its place. Paracelsus and all the other doctors and nurses had left for the evening and the other few patients that were in the hospital were dozing off, leaving Junia and Reynauld all to themselves.
"Verse LVII: The Light is the only true beacon of hope in a world of darkness and gloom." Junia whispered to the crusader.
"Ah, I loved that verse." Reynauld sighed contently.
Silence enveloped the room, the only noise being the faint snoring of the other patients. Reynauld spoke quietly, not wishing to draw attention to them.
"Junia…why did you run away earlier?" the crusader asked solemnly.
"I-I don't know, Reynauld." stammered Junia. "I guess I was just scared. Last night was very intense, I've never done anything like that in my life. It wasn't that I don't love you or anything. I do, very much so."
"I understand, Junia." comforted Reynauld. "It was your first real time dealing with romance, you were overwhelmed."
The pair went quiet once again.
"Um, Reynauld, I wanted to thank you again for saving me in the ruins." Junia said as she started to blush.
"There is no need to thank me, sister." replied Reynauld. "Like I said, I couldn't just sit and let that monster do whatever he wanted with you, just the thought of it make my blood boil." The crusader sighed heavily. "But don't worry, he won't hurt you anymore, or anyone else for that matter."
"Junia…I have something I have been meaning to tell you." confessed Reynauld. "If we are to be in a relationship together, I feel that is best to be forthcoming about my past, just as you were yesterday."
"Go ahead, Reynauld." whispered Junia, rubbing his forearm.
"Well much like you, I didn't have the happiest childhood." Reynauld chucked weakly. "My father was the "village drunk" you could say, beat me and my mother savagely, he did. My mother on the other hand, was a good woman who made sure I learned the values the Light. You can imagine how devastated I was when the plague took her from me." Reynauld continued on. "I met a girl from the next village over and we got married and had a son together."
Junia's heart dropped. "He's married!" she thought to herself. Not only was she breaking her vows, but she was doing so with a married man. Why didn't he tell her before she confessed her feelings? Now her soul was doomed to dwell in eternal darkness, no matter how devoted she was to the Light.
"W-what happened to your wife, Reynauld?" Junia inquired anxiously.
"I'll get to that." Reynauld interjected. "Though my marriage was a happy one, I felt empty inside, like part of me was missing. I figured it had to been something spiritual, so when the Church was look volunteers for the crusade to liberate the Holy Land from the heathens, I signed up."
Junia continued to listen patiently to Reynauld's backstory, nervously anticipating what the knight was going to say next.
"Morale was high when we left, but as soon the fighting started, it quickly waned. Some deserted, many more died, all for some sand in a far away land that the High Father never even stepped foot in." Reynauld explained, growing angry at the memory.
"I remember after one battle, I was injured lying face up towards the sky, bodies all around me, both Crusader and Saracen. When I recovered a few months later, I returned to the holy city, only to find out that they marked me as killed in battle by mistake. I didn't think much of it until I returned back home, to find my wife in the arms of another."
"Oh my, Reynauld. I never knew-" Junia whispered, incredulous at the crusader's story.
"It's okay, dear." comforted Reynauld. "I cannot blame my wife for her infidelity, she only heard the story the Church wanted her to hear. Both my wife and son believed I was dead and they had moved on with their lives by the time I returned, so I felt that it was best to let them continue believing that." Reynauld teared up slightly. "My only regret is that my son will only know another man as his father."
"I started to wander around the cities and villages, trying to find work, but nobody wanted anything to do with a veteran crusader, that was until I saw a poster stating that warriors were needed to vanish unholy monsters at a former manor, and that's how I came to the hamlet." the knight concluded.
Junia gave a nervous smile. Reynauld just unloaded his entire life story on the nun, and she was unsure of how to react. The fact that Reynauld is still technically married, kept repeating in her head. Still, though Junia couldn't help but think that she could be the one to fill the new emptiness in Reynauld's life.
"Sleep calls." Junia said as she set the Holy Tome of the Light on the bedside table and snuffed out the candle she had been using as a reading light. "You need your strength to heal."
"Thank you, Junia. Good night, my love." Reynauld said as the vestal gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Reynauld soon fell asleep, Junia watched the contraction of his breathing before turning her head and sighing.
She said a small prayer then fell asleep herself, there was a lot going on in her life at this point, but alas, she would have deal with it in the morning.
Author's note: Can you say two for one special? Yes, I decide to split Chapter 2 up into different pairs as it was just getting too long and wordy. I had been working on the chapters since November, so yeah, it was taking forever to complete and didn't flow well.
If you are curious, the Heroes move sets would be the following:
Reynauld: Smite, Zealous Accusation, Holy Lance, Bulwark of Faith
Dismas: Open Vein, Grapeshot Blast, Pistol Shot, Wicked Slice
Audrey: Poison Dart, Thrown Dagger, Pick to the Face, Shadow Fade
Junia: Divine Grace, Divine Comfort, Judgement, Dazzling Light
I hope you enjoyed Chapter 3, the next chapter will be a mostly Junia-centric one. Thank you all for your support. As always, comments, corrections and constructive criticisms are always welcome.