thewrongvine
The Evolved Panda Commandant
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A little thing I created a long time ago. Found it today so I decided to post it here. Enjoy!
Fictionpress.com Link: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2507320/1/The_Paladins
OR
Read it here:
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Editor Updates/Notes:
Comment on fictionpress if you can.
Enjoy.
Fictionpress.com Link: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2507320/1/The_Paladins
OR
Read it here:
Prologue
Prologue: Sunrise Death
6:00 AM, Abandoned Riverstep Church
Malak sat down on a tree stump on a hill south of the abandoned church, and silently watched his master creep down the hill. Screams were heard from inside, cries of agony and pain, one that could only be caused from a wretched horror. Malak closed his eyes and prayed to himself, trying to block out the man’s helpless voice, as he was most likely being hunted by a horror. His master’s voice spoke to him, don’t worry Malak, it’ll be all right. But the truth was that, it probably wouldn’t be all right.
Journe, his master of course, arrived at the pavement at the large, wooden door of the church that was half-rotten from termites and just plain old time. He gingerly pushed the left side open, causing only a slight creaking sound. Slight to humans… enough for a horror to hear. The 6-legged beast, which was now seen to Journe, stopped its preying, and turned to where the sound had been made. It was a horrific sight, near 8 feet tall when on its 6 legs; a horror had fearful hunting abilities. It could jump at incredible heights and withstand heavy blows with its hardened leather-like skin. However, its most known trait was its Blood Eye.
When one stared at its single eye when it used its Blood Eye, its eye would turn red like blood, and the victim would be instantly paralyzed out of uncontrollable fear, and it was said that you would even witness your own gruesome death. Of course, no one has ever encountered that and lived to speak the truth. No one except for the Paladins, but we will come to that later.
Reflexively, Journe turned away and took a moment to put his mask on. All fully-pledged Paladins had one; it was made of simple cloth that had been imbued with holy protection, and would block out all evil, allowing one to survive demonic traits, such as the Blood Eye. With inhuman strength, the horror grasped the poor man, a traveler by the looks of it, with one hand, and tossed him aside. The man hit a broken cart and rebounded off of it, landing hard on the floor with a thud.
Malak, the Paladin mind-sent, come down here now and help the poor man! Malak’s eyes widened and he took a deep breath, and with that, rushed down the hill. He reached the door and entered. “The man’s by the broken cart over there! Get him out of here, now!” He pointed to the left where the man laid there, moaning. Malak nodded and quietly stepped his way to the man. “I’ve got myself a horror to fight.”
He turned around and growled at the sight. Right next to him, barely 1 foot away from him, was the horror, breathing heavily on the man. Blood oozed from his mouth; he had probably already feasted on the victim a little bit. The horror howled into the morning sky with ferocity and the whole ground seemed to shake. The fight was on.
6:00 AM, Abandoned Riverstep Church
Malak sat down on a tree stump on a hill south of the abandoned church, and silently watched his master creep down the hill. Screams were heard from inside, cries of agony and pain, one that could only be caused from a wretched horror. Malak closed his eyes and prayed to himself, trying to block out the man’s helpless voice, as he was most likely being hunted by a horror. His master’s voice spoke to him, don’t worry Malak, it’ll be all right. But the truth was that, it probably wouldn’t be all right.
Journe, his master of course, arrived at the pavement at the large, wooden door of the church that was half-rotten from termites and just plain old time. He gingerly pushed the left side open, causing only a slight creaking sound. Slight to humans… enough for a horror to hear. The 6-legged beast, which was now seen to Journe, stopped its preying, and turned to where the sound had been made. It was a horrific sight, near 8 feet tall when on its 6 legs; a horror had fearful hunting abilities. It could jump at incredible heights and withstand heavy blows with its hardened leather-like skin. However, its most known trait was its Blood Eye.
When one stared at its single eye when it used its Blood Eye, its eye would turn red like blood, and the victim would be instantly paralyzed out of uncontrollable fear, and it was said that you would even witness your own gruesome death. Of course, no one has ever encountered that and lived to speak the truth. No one except for the Paladins, but we will come to that later.
Reflexively, Journe turned away and took a moment to put his mask on. All fully-pledged Paladins had one; it was made of simple cloth that had been imbued with holy protection, and would block out all evil, allowing one to survive demonic traits, such as the Blood Eye. With inhuman strength, the horror grasped the poor man, a traveler by the looks of it, with one hand, and tossed him aside. The man hit a broken cart and rebounded off of it, landing hard on the floor with a thud.
Malak, the Paladin mind-sent, come down here now and help the poor man! Malak’s eyes widened and he took a deep breath, and with that, rushed down the hill. He reached the door and entered. “The man’s by the broken cart over there! Get him out of here, now!” He pointed to the left where the man laid there, moaning. Malak nodded and quietly stepped his way to the man. “I’ve got myself a horror to fight.”
He turned around and growled at the sight. Right next to him, barely 1 foot away from him, was the horror, breathing heavily on the man. Blood oozed from his mouth; he had probably already feasted on the victim a little bit. The horror howled into the morning sky with ferocity and the whole ground seemed to shake. The fight was on.
Chapter One
Chapter One: To Life
6:10 AM, Abandoned Riverstep Church
I couldn’t tell what was happening between the two. As I scurried over to the poor, broken man, I forced myself not to avert my eyes to the danger that was near me. I reached the man – he was moaning quietly, also making sounds that could be described as whimpers. I stooped down and gently moved the man’s body off the cart, first his arms off anything that would hinder movement, then his body, and finally his legs to trail the other parts. It was bad.
Simply enough, the man was a wreck. Bones broken, body bleeding, there was nothing that an ordinary human could do to save the man in such a short amount of time. But we weren’t ordinary humans. My mind raced as I tried to think of what to do. Time was slipping away quickly for the man. My pouch that I carried around contained so many different items – special ointments, healing magic, holy weapons – but none of which came to mind that could help the man.
Thousands of ideas swirled around, so I chose the one most helpful.
I sat down on the floor, Indian style. Like a monk, I closed my eyes and began to concentrate. With the powers of a Paladin, well, Paladin-apprentice, I called upon the holy gods above. This would sacrifice a lot of my energy, but the need was dire. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Three seconds passed – nothing.
Five seconds passed – nothing.
Eight seconds passed – nothing.
Nine… just as the man was about to pass away, a light mystically appeared from the ceiling. It was unexplainable, but no matter, a beautiful ray shown down upon the man, embracing him with sudden warmth. The word of the gods was spoken, and the man’s wounds began to heal. In a matter of seconds, this man was back to the realm of which he could live. It would take him weeks, months, and maybe even years before his body returned to its normal health, and he would never be able to be so strong anymore. His years of youth had been drastically shortened, but he was alive.
As amazing this power was, it also came with a sacrifice. The instant the spell was completed, I felt my strength and energy wisp away, as if I had been fighting for hours. I was now weak and vulnerable, and I hoped that the horror would not sense it. To my favor, it was too focused on my master. My eyes now turned to the battle and watched them intently. Even though I wasn’t the one in direct danger, I was sweating.
Journe eyed the horror cautiously, looking for a sense of its first attack. Neither of them made any major movements, and they just slowly circled around each other. Suddenly, the horror lunged forward with his left shoulder first. The Paladin raised his powerful two-handed broadsword up and pushed it with its tilt in front, hoping to bash the creature with it. However, it was a trick. As the horror motioned forward, it thrust its right hand from the side with all its might. Journe showed no surprise; he had been expecting trickery. Without even looking, he countered the blow with the opposite side of the sword and its hilt – the sharp end.
The horror saw the danger coming and growled slightly as it tried to swerve its whole body away. The sword made contact, barely, but the first damage was done. The blade cut slightly into the horror’s hand, cleanly slicing its pinky off.
The wounded beast howled in pain as it tumbled to the floor from the combined attack and itself trying to avoid the attack. The ground trembled as he fell. Quick as a mouse, it spun around and began crawling away – and headed straight at me!
My mind stopped – I didn’t know what to do.
Jump to the right? And leave the man alone?
Jump to the left? And hit the wall?
Step back? That would be stepping on the man.
That left me with no choice… but to charge at the horror. It was a crazy thing to do, and the odds were that I would surely die. Even if I was running at it full speed with fully equipped armor, that beast would knock me away like a toy. But I had to do it. I prayed silently in that short second that luck would be with me.
A burst of adrenaline exploded, and I shouted as loud as I could as I suddenly sprint forward at the monster. The tactic worked. The horror hadn’t been expecting resistance from someone with a level of power as low as me, and he halted momentarily. That was all that I needed. I made it up to a few feet away from it, dropped to my feet, and slid right past it!
Confusion and shock tore through its face as I reached the other side. With a defiant shout, I fumbled out my little dagger, and stabbed it, aiming right for its furry, vulnerable, and surprised bottom.
6:10 AM, Abandoned Riverstep Church
I couldn’t tell what was happening between the two. As I scurried over to the poor, broken man, I forced myself not to avert my eyes to the danger that was near me. I reached the man – he was moaning quietly, also making sounds that could be described as whimpers. I stooped down and gently moved the man’s body off the cart, first his arms off anything that would hinder movement, then his body, and finally his legs to trail the other parts. It was bad.
Simply enough, the man was a wreck. Bones broken, body bleeding, there was nothing that an ordinary human could do to save the man in such a short amount of time. But we weren’t ordinary humans. My mind raced as I tried to think of what to do. Time was slipping away quickly for the man. My pouch that I carried around contained so many different items – special ointments, healing magic, holy weapons – but none of which came to mind that could help the man.
Thousands of ideas swirled around, so I chose the one most helpful.
I sat down on the floor, Indian style. Like a monk, I closed my eyes and began to concentrate. With the powers of a Paladin, well, Paladin-apprentice, I called upon the holy gods above. This would sacrifice a lot of my energy, but the need was dire. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Three seconds passed – nothing.
Five seconds passed – nothing.
Eight seconds passed – nothing.
Nine… just as the man was about to pass away, a light mystically appeared from the ceiling. It was unexplainable, but no matter, a beautiful ray shown down upon the man, embracing him with sudden warmth. The word of the gods was spoken, and the man’s wounds began to heal. In a matter of seconds, this man was back to the realm of which he could live. It would take him weeks, months, and maybe even years before his body returned to its normal health, and he would never be able to be so strong anymore. His years of youth had been drastically shortened, but he was alive.
As amazing this power was, it also came with a sacrifice. The instant the spell was completed, I felt my strength and energy wisp away, as if I had been fighting for hours. I was now weak and vulnerable, and I hoped that the horror would not sense it. To my favor, it was too focused on my master. My eyes now turned to the battle and watched them intently. Even though I wasn’t the one in direct danger, I was sweating.
Journe eyed the horror cautiously, looking for a sense of its first attack. Neither of them made any major movements, and they just slowly circled around each other. Suddenly, the horror lunged forward with his left shoulder first. The Paladin raised his powerful two-handed broadsword up and pushed it with its tilt in front, hoping to bash the creature with it. However, it was a trick. As the horror motioned forward, it thrust its right hand from the side with all its might. Journe showed no surprise; he had been expecting trickery. Without even looking, he countered the blow with the opposite side of the sword and its hilt – the sharp end.
The horror saw the danger coming and growled slightly as it tried to swerve its whole body away. The sword made contact, barely, but the first damage was done. The blade cut slightly into the horror’s hand, cleanly slicing its pinky off.
The wounded beast howled in pain as it tumbled to the floor from the combined attack and itself trying to avoid the attack. The ground trembled as he fell. Quick as a mouse, it spun around and began crawling away – and headed straight at me!
My mind stopped – I didn’t know what to do.
Jump to the right? And leave the man alone?
Jump to the left? And hit the wall?
Step back? That would be stepping on the man.
That left me with no choice… but to charge at the horror. It was a crazy thing to do, and the odds were that I would surely die. Even if I was running at it full speed with fully equipped armor, that beast would knock me away like a toy. But I had to do it. I prayed silently in that short second that luck would be with me.
A burst of adrenaline exploded, and I shouted as loud as I could as I suddenly sprint forward at the monster. The tactic worked. The horror hadn’t been expecting resistance from someone with a level of power as low as me, and he halted momentarily. That was all that I needed. I made it up to a few feet away from it, dropped to my feet, and slid right past it!
Confusion and shock tore through its face as I reached the other side. With a defiant shout, I fumbled out my little dagger, and stabbed it, aiming right for its furry, vulnerable, and surprised bottom.
Chapter Two
Chapter Two: Saved
6:15 AM, Abandoned Riverstep Church
The crazy, unbelievable act worked, better than what I had hoped to accomplish. My blade stabbed into the creature where it hurt. Pain and anguish tore through its body as I backed away, crawling on my back. Its eyes widened with fear, and at that moment, all traces of sanity vanished, leaving it now as a truly demonic beast with no fear or restrictions. The horror was completely insane.
It howled with ferocity and it cried out to the night. And what did I do? Nothing. Too frightened to move, I backed against a pile of debris.
“Malak,” my master beckoned, “get out of there!”
No response. I was fear-stricken by the horrifying sight, and stared like a coward. Journe rushed over to me, turned my face towards his, and smacked me right in the face! But I needed that. I snapped out of my trance and pulled my senses together. Too late. I was ashamed at myself. Our few seconds of peace when the horror was preoccupied with itself were over so quickly because I had wasted them, eyes gaping at it. If we weren’t in the middle of such a dangerous fight, I’m sure Journe would’ve reprimanded me right there, and maybe even smack me again.
The ferocious beast shook its head with a whine of annoyance, and finally found its target – us. With a snarl, it charged towards us with all its might.
“Get out of here!” Journe yelled at me. With one shove, he pushed me away as he readied his sword.
I lamely cried out, “Oof!” as I fell to the floor. It was so sudden that I almost landed on my own dagger, which would’ve been a very shameful way to die. But luckily, I didn’t. I wasn’t going to make a fool of myself again. I rolled a few times, and kicked myself up.
My master wasn’t so lucky. He barely had enough time to pull his sword up when the horror bombarded its body at him. The blade parried its razor-sharp claws away, but not the main body. The impact sent Journe flying several feet back in a clutter of broken chairs. With a groan, he got to his feet and clutched his sword – nothing. He clenched his fists, expecting the warmed steel handle, but when he looked down, there was nothing there. He swore under his breath as he searched for his missing sword, but it was nowhere in sight.
The horror shook his head to clear the dizziness, and in a matter of seconds, it was ready to assault again. Except this time, my master was left weaponless!
But he wasn’t defenseless. I watched as he scurried to gather the larger chair pieces. With a fierce glint in my master’s eyes, he took the lead this time. In his hand was a half-shattered stool made of sturdy wood. With a battlecry, he swung the stool from above and struck the beast will all his might. The chair bashed it in its face, knocking it back slightly. Journe struck the monster incessantly, each time with greater force.
After a series of strikes, the horror decided that he had taken enough hits. It was his turn to attack. It suddenly slashed out wildly in front of itself with its eyes closed. The air seemed to be cut apart as its claws swiped back and forth constantly. My master grunted as he leaped backwards, dodging the first few attacks, but he wasn’t so lucky afterwards. The monster was too fast, faster than Journe could evade. One random attack gashed into my master’s arms as he tried to defend himself with an X-shape.
“Ah!” Journe cried out in pain, and dropped the stool.
Blood spurted out wildly as the horror’s eyes gleamed with delight. The infliction drained my master’s energy right out of him as he staggered backwards. Without delay, he began to chant a magic spell. A light formed around his wounded arm and surrounded it. Once it was wrapped around completely, the holy light blasted into his arm, regenerating it. Blood was no longer leaking out, but he was still weakened.
The beast knew this, too, and used it to his advantage. It vigorously continued its assault, using agile, weak swipes instead of slow, powerful blows. As soon as the attacks resumed, my master reached back for the stool and barely blocked the attacks. He was losing the battle, quickly.
I had to do something, but what? Suddenly, a voice called out to me, Malak, I could use your help now! It was Journe. I nodded to no one in particular. Unsheathing my dagger again, I braced myself, and ran towards the horror.
“Hey ugly!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping to get his attention. Its eyes turned to look at me briefly, and right in that moment, I leaped high into the air right at the beastie, and lunged my dagger down directly at its eyes!
Swwrriinng! My dagger tore through the air cleanly, curving downwards, and impaled his eyes right there, right then. It was so gruesome, I closed my own eyes. The horror’s mouth opened and instantly roared deafeningly into the air, shaking the whole church. I’m sure that if it had its left eye, it would’ve followed its right eye and open wide. My feet touched the floor, and I ran away, falling as I did.
My master and I watched intently at the poor beast. Gone was even the insanity. Now, it was left with nothing but fear and pain. Its heart panicking wildly, its lone eye glancing back and forth by the millisecond, its head turning around in confusion. The roar quickly died down to a howl. The wounds it had taken were not so serious that it would’ve died, but it had been too sudden for the thing, and its mind left it.
The horror began to claw the air viciously, madness overcoming it. It tried to ignore the pain of the wound and blood dripping down, but it was to no use. For a minute, it went on, struggling to hold on to its confused life. Finally, the swipes weakened, its eyes dimmed, and its heart slowed down. Almost peacefully, it fell to its knees, then to the floor with a soft thud, and then only the head was up.
Its eye stared into space. No more anger, no more pain, no more insanity, just peace. The heart held on a moment longer. Boom, boom. Boom… boom. Boom…
And with that, the horror was slain. My first battle - successful. My heart - afraid of what was to come. If killing one monster was this hard, how would my life be later? And the grisly sights, all that blood and shrieking. I was just a boy.
Silently, Journe came to me and patted me on the back. Neither of us said anything as we walked out of the abandoned church, my master carrying the traveler. We reached outside and my master took off his mask.
“Well, Malak,” he spoke softly, a voice that I didn’t hear often unless for important issues, “you now have seen your first fight with evil. It is a nasty business,”
With nothing to say, I nodded. My mind drifted away as we walked to our horses, thinking about thousands of things. The man was put on my horse, and my master and I shared his horse. We traveled on the old, dirt road for about an hour, when suddenly, a dark figure approached us from the front!
“Hey, you there!” it shouted out.
In my head, I groaned, what craziness is gonna’ happen now?
6:15 AM, Abandoned Riverstep Church
The crazy, unbelievable act worked, better than what I had hoped to accomplish. My blade stabbed into the creature where it hurt. Pain and anguish tore through its body as I backed away, crawling on my back. Its eyes widened with fear, and at that moment, all traces of sanity vanished, leaving it now as a truly demonic beast with no fear or restrictions. The horror was completely insane.
It howled with ferocity and it cried out to the night. And what did I do? Nothing. Too frightened to move, I backed against a pile of debris.
“Malak,” my master beckoned, “get out of there!”
No response. I was fear-stricken by the horrifying sight, and stared like a coward. Journe rushed over to me, turned my face towards his, and smacked me right in the face! But I needed that. I snapped out of my trance and pulled my senses together. Too late. I was ashamed at myself. Our few seconds of peace when the horror was preoccupied with itself were over so quickly because I had wasted them, eyes gaping at it. If we weren’t in the middle of such a dangerous fight, I’m sure Journe would’ve reprimanded me right there, and maybe even smack me again.
The ferocious beast shook its head with a whine of annoyance, and finally found its target – us. With a snarl, it charged towards us with all its might.
“Get out of here!” Journe yelled at me. With one shove, he pushed me away as he readied his sword.
I lamely cried out, “Oof!” as I fell to the floor. It was so sudden that I almost landed on my own dagger, which would’ve been a very shameful way to die. But luckily, I didn’t. I wasn’t going to make a fool of myself again. I rolled a few times, and kicked myself up.
My master wasn’t so lucky. He barely had enough time to pull his sword up when the horror bombarded its body at him. The blade parried its razor-sharp claws away, but not the main body. The impact sent Journe flying several feet back in a clutter of broken chairs. With a groan, he got to his feet and clutched his sword – nothing. He clenched his fists, expecting the warmed steel handle, but when he looked down, there was nothing there. He swore under his breath as he searched for his missing sword, but it was nowhere in sight.
The horror shook his head to clear the dizziness, and in a matter of seconds, it was ready to assault again. Except this time, my master was left weaponless!
But he wasn’t defenseless. I watched as he scurried to gather the larger chair pieces. With a fierce glint in my master’s eyes, he took the lead this time. In his hand was a half-shattered stool made of sturdy wood. With a battlecry, he swung the stool from above and struck the beast will all his might. The chair bashed it in its face, knocking it back slightly. Journe struck the monster incessantly, each time with greater force.
After a series of strikes, the horror decided that he had taken enough hits. It was his turn to attack. It suddenly slashed out wildly in front of itself with its eyes closed. The air seemed to be cut apart as its claws swiped back and forth constantly. My master grunted as he leaped backwards, dodging the first few attacks, but he wasn’t so lucky afterwards. The monster was too fast, faster than Journe could evade. One random attack gashed into my master’s arms as he tried to defend himself with an X-shape.
“Ah!” Journe cried out in pain, and dropped the stool.
Blood spurted out wildly as the horror’s eyes gleamed with delight. The infliction drained my master’s energy right out of him as he staggered backwards. Without delay, he began to chant a magic spell. A light formed around his wounded arm and surrounded it. Once it was wrapped around completely, the holy light blasted into his arm, regenerating it. Blood was no longer leaking out, but he was still weakened.
The beast knew this, too, and used it to his advantage. It vigorously continued its assault, using agile, weak swipes instead of slow, powerful blows. As soon as the attacks resumed, my master reached back for the stool and barely blocked the attacks. He was losing the battle, quickly.
I had to do something, but what? Suddenly, a voice called out to me, Malak, I could use your help now! It was Journe. I nodded to no one in particular. Unsheathing my dagger again, I braced myself, and ran towards the horror.
“Hey ugly!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping to get his attention. Its eyes turned to look at me briefly, and right in that moment, I leaped high into the air right at the beastie, and lunged my dagger down directly at its eyes!
Swwrriinng! My dagger tore through the air cleanly, curving downwards, and impaled his eyes right there, right then. It was so gruesome, I closed my own eyes. The horror’s mouth opened and instantly roared deafeningly into the air, shaking the whole church. I’m sure that if it had its left eye, it would’ve followed its right eye and open wide. My feet touched the floor, and I ran away, falling as I did.
My master and I watched intently at the poor beast. Gone was even the insanity. Now, it was left with nothing but fear and pain. Its heart panicking wildly, its lone eye glancing back and forth by the millisecond, its head turning around in confusion. The roar quickly died down to a howl. The wounds it had taken were not so serious that it would’ve died, but it had been too sudden for the thing, and its mind left it.
The horror began to claw the air viciously, madness overcoming it. It tried to ignore the pain of the wound and blood dripping down, but it was to no use. For a minute, it went on, struggling to hold on to its confused life. Finally, the swipes weakened, its eyes dimmed, and its heart slowed down. Almost peacefully, it fell to its knees, then to the floor with a soft thud, and then only the head was up.
Its eye stared into space. No more anger, no more pain, no more insanity, just peace. The heart held on a moment longer. Boom, boom. Boom… boom. Boom…
And with that, the horror was slain. My first battle - successful. My heart - afraid of what was to come. If killing one monster was this hard, how would my life be later? And the grisly sights, all that blood and shrieking. I was just a boy.
Silently, Journe came to me and patted me on the back. Neither of us said anything as we walked out of the abandoned church, my master carrying the traveler. We reached outside and my master took off his mask.
“Well, Malak,” he spoke softly, a voice that I didn’t hear often unless for important issues, “you now have seen your first fight with evil. It is a nasty business,”
With nothing to say, I nodded. My mind drifted away as we walked to our horses, thinking about thousands of things. The man was put on my horse, and my master and I shared his horse. We traveled on the old, dirt road for about an hour, when suddenly, a dark figure approached us from the front!
“Hey, you there!” it shouted out.
In my head, I groaned, what craziness is gonna’ happen now?
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