The Scarlet Paladin

With one powerful warcry, Ursa immediately charged forward, axe at the ready. The rest of the Scarlet Seraphs chased after her. Jasmine was in hiding, closer to the building. She watched the bandits scramble to get into position after hearing Ursa's cry. If the bandits were smart, they'd use the fortress as cover.

But bandits weren't known for their tactics. They were known for their ferocity.

The gates burst open, and a mob rushed out. For every bandit, there was two villagers clearly to be used as shields. Jasmine prayed to any goddess that was listening for the safety of her party and the villagers.

The charging mob closed in on Ursa and Claire. Jasmine watched, hoping Ursa wouldn't lose herself fully. If her berserker instincts took over, the villagers were screwed.

It was up to Claire to control Ursa.

Jasmine pulled her eyes away, she had her own mission. She needed to take out Reyna and free that snake woman. It was the only way to free the villagers. She guessed that only a handful of guards were left inside.

She took a deep breath and moved from her cover. She found the first open window and slipped in.

Claire was right behind Ursa, Lily's potion at the ready. She'd throw this right before Ursa made contact, stun the villagers and bandits. Let Ursa pick off the fighters and protect her. That was the plan.

The bandits had archers, though. So Claire had to overtake Ursa.

"Ursa! Behind me!" Claire commanded.

A growl answered her, but she felt Ursa's presence press into her back. Claire was relieved that she had listened. She shielded the two of them just in time to block the volley of arrows. She felt them impact her shield and ricochet off the plates on her armor. The impacts rattled her bones, but she kept steady.

She took a moment to glance at her backline, Ana's ward catching a few strays. She shifted her shield, unleashing Ursa upon the approaching mob.

Ursa rushed in recklessly. She was out for blood.

Claire threw the first of Lily's potions. It struck the closest villager in the head, bounced off, and shattered on the ground. The orange mist spilled out, enveloping the line of controlled villagers. Claire was relieved to see Ursa dart to the side, avoiding the fumes.

Claire rushed to catch up, just in time to see Ursa's axe cleave a bandit down with a sickening thunk. Claire turned away, not wanting to see Ursa's devastation.

Another bandit lunged towards Ursa from behind, but Claire intercepted. She used her defensive strike to stun the bandit.

Then everything slowed.

The woman she had just bashed with her shield stood dazed and confused, vulnerable. For a moment, Claire felt her stomach churn, and like the world had frozen around her. She couldn't move.

Ursa's axe broke her from her trance. It came down hard. The warrior didn't hesitate to kill the dazed bandit. Claire felt Ursa's grip on her forearm.

"Claire! Now is not the time!" Ursa yelled. She threw her axe, embedding it in an approaching bandit. She forced Claire's sword from her hand and blocked another bandit's blade. "Claire!"

Claire blinked. Snapping back just in time to raise her shield to block another's axe. It bit into her shield's edge as she wrestled the attacker. On instinct, she reached for her knife.

She didn't even realize what she had done. One moment, she was struggling against the bandit. The next, nothing. No more resistance. She didn't even register the warmth that splattered all over her hand and seeped into her chainmail.

She sheathed her knife with some resistance. She grasped Ursa's axe and pulled it from the body, too full of adrenaline to register the sickening sounds. She tossed it to Ursa, who handed her sword back.

"Sorry. I'll do better." Claire said with surprising confidence. Ursa nodded. "Fall back, the effects of the potion are wearing off."

The two fell back as the bandits began to regroup. Claire watched them scramble, tripping over the villagers, their human shields causing them issues. She then scanned the bodies, relieved to see that Ursa hadn't struck any villagers.

When they regrouped with their backline, the first thing Claire noticed was Elsie's eyes. Vacant. Hollow.

"Elsie! Elsie! Please!' Ana cried, tears streaking her cheeks as she shook her sister. "It's not over yet!"

Ursa stepped in, gently lifting Ana and pulling her away from her frozen twin. She set Ana beside Lily, then turned back to Elsie.

With a shocking smack, Ursa slapped Elsie across the face.

"Ahhh!" Elsie shrieked, cupping her cheek and falling to the ground. She looked around, dazed and confused. "What the fuck?! Where?! Ow!"

"Elsie!" Ana cried out again, but Ursa held her hand up.

"Now is not the time to freeze." She growled. "Save it for after the battle."

Elsie blinked and rubbed her cheek, a red mark forming. She swallowed hard, but nodded. She rose shakily to her feet, forcing deep breaths.

"Sorry Ana… I-I just froze after igniting those women…" E

"Not women. Criminals." Ursa corrected her. "Probably murderers on top of everything else."

"Right… yeah," Elsie murmured staring at the ground.

"Don't worry. Claire did the same." Ursa said, glancing over her shoulder. "But, that's to be expected during your first battle."

Claire wasn't listening.

Claire was staring at her hand. Her leather glove was stained with blood. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was open. She bent over and threw up whatever was in her stomach.

All she could hear was the ragged sound of her own retching and Ursa's laugh cutting through it.

"Was wondering when you'd notice," Ursa said, a dark amusement in her tone.

Lily was at her side, a potion at the ready. "Drink this. If need be, we can retreat for now."

"I'll be fine." Claire declared before wiping her mouth. She spat the last of the bile in her mouth. Now was not the time for weakness. She stood tall and took a deep, ragged breath. Then she grabbed the potion and downed it.

"Come on Ursa." She commanded. Claire unsheathed her sword and turned towards their enemy. "Let's go before I throw up again."

"That's the spirit," Ursa said with a grin.

"Lily. They'll be using the villagers as shields more." Claire spoke with growing confidence. "Make sure their shields are useless."

"Yes ma'am," Lily replied eagerly. She retrieved the slingshot from her pouch and readied a vial. "I can finally join!"

Her optimism was a stark contrast to the twins beside her. Elsie still looked shaken, while Ana nervously watched her, their hands tightly clasped as they leaned on each other.

"We're ready." Ana shakily said. "Right, Elsie?"

Elsie nodded. "Yes. Claire. Ursa. Be careful."

"Won't need to be," Ursa said confidently. "We have you to watch our backs."

Elsie took one last deep breath, then let out a war cry that echoed Ursa's. Her hollow expression gave way to fierce determination as her blue eyes burned bright. "Let's end this!"

Ursa chuckled once more before charging forward with Claire alongside her. They both charged at the mob.

The bandits were struggling to organize. Their leader was nowhere to be seen, and the villagers were causing chaos in their ranks. Panic soon took over as women stumbled over their controlled villagers.

Claire quickened her pace the moment she saw one raise her blade. She crashed through the crowd of villagers, knocking them to the side. She made it in time to intercept the bandit's slash with her shield. A quick follow-up from her sword, and the bandit keeled over.

She didn't stop to think. Her fury took over as she turned to the next attacker. The woman backed away, but Claire struck her with a defensive strike. Stunning, then ending the woman.

Ursa was behind her, the two trading places momentarily. Ursa was protecting Claire's back after she recklessly charged in. Their backs met in the flurry of moving people. A warm comfort behind enemy lines.

"That was badass." Ursa declared. She smacked aside a villager with the shaft of her axe. She kept an eye on the orange mist, making sure Claire wasn't mindlessly heading that way.

"Glad I made it in time," Claire said, her voice cold and steady. She pressed the advantage, using the ensuing chaos to single out bandits. One by one, she cornered them, using the throng of villagers as walls to separate her foes. Then she relied on her training.

She lost track after three. She didn't want to keep score. But she knew their numbers were thinning. She knew that what she didn't take care of, Ursa or Elsie would.

She just needed to press forward. Until she met up with Jasmine.