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The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Author's Notes

I should have divided that final act into two.

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Epilogue

30th Day, Lower Fire Month, 1 CE

Alright, so…yeah, no, I got nothing.

Liam twirled an empty potion vial between his fingers as he watched a swarm of fiery citizens chase a group of screaming armsmen down the city street. He had gone from a starving orphan from the streets of Fassett town to a professional agent of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s intelligence division – he had even started learning magic – but the world was still a far strang...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 18

Looks like the coast is clear…

When the column of armsmen marched into the city, Neia went into hiding, thinking that they had been sent after her. The column went right through without stopping, however, and she had later learned that it was one of many coming into the city on some errand elsewhere.

Saye asked around about them, but no one seemed to know what they were up to. As far as Neia could tell, Hoburns remained unchanged from its presently miserable state and t...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 17

“What the hell happened here?” Remedios asked.

“Don’t ask,” Gustav answered.

Hands on her hips, Remedios scanned the cordon of royal guardsmen set up just inside the palace gate. No longer adorned in their ceremonial garb, they bristled with weaponry and their armour gleamed in the torchlight. Every Paladin not on patrol was similarly present.

“The Nobles walked,” Gustav said.

“I didn’t ask,” Remedios replied.

The Grandmaster gave her...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 16

“I wonder what that blithering fool has prepared for us today.”

“Prepared?” Antonio Cohen snorted, “I doubt anything he brings up will have any semblance of preparation. At best, it’ll be another ‘idea’ with little or no thought put into it.”

“Perhaps,” Martha replied, “but the ladies I’ve spoken with seem to expect something momentous…or at least their houses do.”

Antonio looked out of the window of his carriage as it slowly rolled through Eart...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 15

“How does it look?”

“You know, there’s only so much you can do with a strip of cloth.”

“I know, but I still want to make it look as good as possible.”

Since most people seemed to associate her with her mask, Neia figured she should fix it up a bit. Quite frankly, she was rather embarrassed about it when she got back to Saye’s room and took a good look at herself in a mirror. Since then, she kept making adjustments to it…at least until it fell apart.

T...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 14

What in the name of the Sorcerer King is the Sorcerer King’s wisdom?

Liam frowned at the small gathering in the secluded courtyard below him. Over the past few days, stirrings of a different sort were manifesting in Hoburns, characterised by small groups gathered out of the notice of royalist street patrols.

“Crazy, huh?” Ames said.

“Are they all like this?” Liam asked.

“Pretty much,” the thief-taker replied. “At first, I thought it was just pe...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 13

“This can’t be right…”

It was a trick. It had to be. Yet, after spending hours walking around, Neia couldn’t figure out what the trick was.

Hoburns’ western quarter may as well have been a different world compared to the city’s southern and eastern districts. It hadn’t quite returned to normal, yet, but the sense of growing desperation that Neia remembered when she last visited to buy a pair of straw sandals may as well have been her imagination. As Saye n...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 12

“You should have taken Orlando up on his offer.”

“Are you crazy?” Neia shot Saye a look, “Why would I want to work in…a…a…brothel?”

“It’s not just a brothel,” Saye told her. “All of the people here work different jobs. Prostitution is entirely optional. Sir Orlando is so busy with all the people in Hoburns now that he’ll take any help they can get. Not that he wouldn’t have hired you anyway. And I bet you’d do great in the casino.�...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 11

“Ow!”

Neia Baraja’s head snapped back after a jounce of the carriage smacked her head against the edge of the cabin’s overhead stowage. She held back her tears as she rubbed her forehead.

“I don’t get it,” she complained. “How can we grow stronger, yet everything still hurts?”

“I thought we talked about that already,” Saye replied. “We don’t get shells or scales or even tough hides. We don't get supernatural protection like Fiends, Angels, Undead, o...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 10

“That fool. That absolute fool!”

A man’s enraged voice drifted out from the window beneath Liam’s feet. In the evening following the emergency session of Hoburns’ Royal Court, similar sentiments were expressed across the Prime Estates. Seemingly no one had a good opinion of the Holy King before, but now their attitudes bordered on outright hostility.

“Does he think we can station our armies outside the cities indefinitely? Who does he think is paying for every...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 9

“We’ve got trouble.”

Remedios sat up in her bed, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. She looked around, sleepy-eyed, eventually spotting Liam in a corner of her bedroom.

“What sort of trouble?” She twisted slightly to regard him, “Did a fight break out?”

“No,” Liam looked away. “Something happened on the north coast. People are saying that a lot of wreckage is washing up on the shore. They’re saying that this year’s trade fleet has been des...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 8

22nd Day, Lower Fire Month, 1 CE

Saye stared up at the Shadow Demon in the ceiling. The Shadow Demon stared back at her. They weren’t in a place where they could chat, so she could only stew quietly on her bench at a building along the town square as she listened to the ‘Faceless One’ share her message with the townsfolk.

“We must all cast aside the sin of weakness if we wish to achieve true justice! Turn your back on the ways that...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 7

12th Day, Lower Fire Month, 1 CE

Sierra Norte was the rather plain name for the mountain range that ran along the northern coast of the Holy Kingdom. According to Neia’s father, it was part of the much more extensive range that separated Re-Estize from the Abelion Wilderness, which stretched all the way to the Katze Plains. Rangers had a certain sense for terrain, so Neia was sure he wasn’t wrong.

As with most of the Holy Kingdom, Sier...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 6

In the market of Ferrero, their most recent conquest east of Lloyds, Neia Baraja watched a crowd of hungry townsfolk line up for soup distributed by the Corps.

No, more than hungry, they’ve had their spirits squashed.

Taking the town was a simple matter. The ranchers eliminated the town’s rural patrols when they left on their routes early in the morning, then a perimeter was created before her soldiers advancing overland surrounded the settlement’s walls. Two galleo...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 5

“Are you sure this is alright? Saye asked.

“It’s the best way,” Commander Lobo replied.

“But it’s like you’re pirates…”

“Hmph, you’re just being naive again, girl. Well, I won’t blame you for that. You were brought up like Lanca, living by the Nobles’ rules. We won’t be able to bring justice to the Holy Kingdom by playing a rigged game.”

For some reason, Saye insisted on acting her age, which Neia supposed was an odd thing to wond...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 4

Uwah, they’re so mad…

A half circle of scions faced Neia Baraja in the Corps’ camp outside of Lloyds. Her wavering gaze kept going between them as she tried to figure out how to reply to their anger. They were all dressed for business – which meant they were very well-dressed – which made the situation all the more intimidating.

“I-It was unavoidable,” she said in a small voice.

“I won’t deny that the situation could have escalated into a violent c...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 3

“What does it mean when a girl bites you?”

Marim, Diogo, and Ricardo stared silently at Liam for several seconds.

“You talking about Nat?” Marim asked.

“Maybe…”

“Let’s see it,” Ricardo said.

“No.”

“…where did she bite you?” Diogo asked.

“Uh, on the shoulder.”

Liam’s hand went to his left pauldron over where Nat had bitten him. Her ‘gift’ a couple of weeks ago had been a Darkvision ring she had bou...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 2

Natalia Abarca sniffed the suit of leather armour for the fifth time that night.

This is Kalinsha Soap, right?

She had only used it once – just before she went up on the platform where she had been picked by Liam – but she wouldn’t ever forget its luxurious sensation compared to the caustic soaps made out of lye that people usually used.

But why would leather armour smell like Kalinsha Soap? Liam didn’t use it and neither did any of the men in the camp. Men ...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 5, Chapter 1

22nd Day, Middle Fire Month, 1 CE

“There! There he is, sister!”

A cry of warning sounded beside Remedios Custodio. She frowned at the man frantically shaking her by the vambrace.

“Who?”

“Him!” The man pointed, “The Smiling Demon!”

Remedios’ gaze followed the man’s stabbing finger to the rooftops on the other side of the street. Her eyes met Liam’s, who smiled and waved. The patrol nearby rai...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 13

“We’re not going to make it in time.”

“Carlos did offer to ride ahead and tie them up.”

There was a reason for Lugo to refuse that offer, though he wouldn’t give voice to it. Simply put, the ranchers were already at the point where they were willing to visit violence upon the royalists and they didn’t seem to appreciate the fact that their actions would affect the entire conservative faction. If the royalists bled here, then the entire Holy Kingdom would ble...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 12

A chilly gust from the sea swept over the infantry column, sending locks of Lugo Agrela’s hair over his face. He brushed them aside with his fingers, focusing his gaze on the coast. Road conditions remained poor since the storm and a ceiling of dark clouds made improvements to travel conditions a dubious prospect, at best.

“Slow our pace by a half measure,” he ordered. “Make sure the Sergeants keep their men on the road.”

The man riding to his right – a Knight of House...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 11

After staying overnight with the Martinez family, Neia and Saye sailed out of Lloyds on a fishing boat belonging to another member of the Corps. They were dropped off at the nearest village to the east, from where they slogged their way through the muddy county roads to Bast. Fortunately, it was no longer raining, but a ceiling of heavy-looking clouds lingered over them.

“I hope Mister Moro gets back soon,” Neia said. “We’re going to need a lot of help.”

“What are we g...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 10

It turned out that Neia wasn’t very good at punching people. In her panic, her fist missed the man’s face entirely and hit him in the shoulder. The man staggered back several steps in a half-spin before bumping into the wall and losing his footing.

The man with the lamp gaped silently at the result. He turned around and raised his lamp as if to swing it at her, then stopped upon seeing Neia’s horrified expression.

“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic look, “I was–”<...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 9

Though Lloyds was one of the smallest cities in the Holy Kingdom – its current population was around ten thousand, excluding the new labour camps – it was still a city and Neia struggled to figure out what was going on and who to speak with. Everyone had their own interpretation of what was happening and why, though the general themes that came with the divide between urban and rural society seemed to weigh heavily on anything anyone said.

Even now, as she and Saye settled down for ...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 8

“Here come some more…”

On the road to Lloyds, Neia and Saye munched on a breakfast of freshly-picked forest berries as they watched a man and woman walk toward them from the east. They wore working garb and carried little more than their nervous expressions as they went by.

“Hi,” Neia said.

As one, they flinched as Neia smiled and waved. A second later, they broke and fled into a nearby field.

“I bet you like scaring people,” Saye looked at her berry-stai...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 7

After seeing Mister Moro off, Neia made sure the ranchers who had arrived fresh from Hacienda Santiago were aware of their responsibilities as they escorted supplies from the port back to their home. News of the conscription order had by then become widespread, casting a pall over the whole town as families wondered whose loved ones would be sent to the Great Wall.

And, inevitably, the question that she feared would be asked finally arose.

“Is it right for us to be sent to war w...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 6

“How were things in town, Mister Moro?”

“A mountain of gossip and speculation has arisen in the wake of our arrival, Miss Baraja. As far as how things have gone since the transfer of Lloyds to the royalists, the people here have already noted a rise in prices for city goods due to increased tolls and taxes.”

“It’s a good thing that the conservatives are so good at staying on top of those things, then. What about the Corps?”

Mister Moro removed his floppy cap, r...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 5

They spent another day visiting people around the city while preparations were made for the journey to Lloyds Prefecture. That extra day in the city saved them several days’ worth of time, however, as their return to the east would consist of a sea journey along the northern coast of the Holy Kingdom.

Neia and her escort, along with their horses, joined a group of Nobles with five hundred men aboard a pair of galleons marked for the amended route servicing the conservative lands in th...

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, Part III: Act 4, Chapter 4

“Seven out of ten. You’re as good as I am, Mrs Vos!”

The woman, a plump fishwife by the name of Carmen Vos, beamed at Neia’s praise.

“Oh, you’re such a flatterer, Miss Baraja,” she laughed lightly. “You never missed during training back in the war and you were a terror on the field.”

That’s because I was using a Skill…

Without it, her archery was about as accurate as many of the women practising before her. Between her Skill to imbue arro...