Raziela's Champion

 

Helena

 

There have been as many fighters as stars throughout the Basin. Some are brutal killers, glorifying in slaughter and blood. Others fight with honour, and find death a necessary evil for the greater good. In Celest, both and many more are present, but only one that was ever called Raziela's Champion.

 

Her name was Helena. She never had a family after the portal, and arrived after what was a tumulus time for Celest. Emperor Ladantine VII had just gone mad and attacked the city with a horde of undead causing Marilynth to throw herself into the Pool and sacrifice the few for the many. History was changed, and catastrophe was averted, but the damage had been done. Now Celest lay in ruins, haunted by the ghosts of those who lived there, a mark of the terrible tragedy and point of no return for Ladantine's daughter.

 

The survivors trekked there way across the sea and started an encampment. At first it was just to recuperate and be a gathering point, but then it grew larger. Hallifax and Gaudiguch were gone, Ackleberry was lost and Gloriana was changed. Everyone flocked to this new settlement, and New Celest came to light.

 

Fifty years on and it is a thriving city fighting against the chaos their ancestors brought in: Magnagora. In those early days, chaos reigned on both sides, two fledgling nations trying to find sense in a wounded world. Many thought they knew that this war would never end.

 

The Paladins were re-establishing themselves, bringing back the old ideals of honour, bravery and truth to Celest's fighters, and she was no different.

 

So we settle now on her youth, and novicehood, to find out why she is forever known as Raziela's Champion.

 

<>

 

Helena wiped her forehead, looking down at the two finks she had just killed. Wearing plain leather armour and wielding two short swords, her beauty shone through regardless in flawless features and green eyes. She didn't smile or congratulate herself, just picked up the corpses and put them over her shoulder. The smell was awful of course, but she wanted to think of herself as disciplined, so held a brave expression as the gnome prison came to light.

 

Once Bolt Banger had paid her, Helena counted the widgets in her inventory and saw she had enough. It wasn't hard to get to Cranky, although she decided to sneak stealthily past any more finks. She wanted to avoid unnecessary killing. Eventually the portal was ready and Helena turned to leave, bumping into another novice. She fell to the floor and winced, looking up with a scowl at who had been so clumsy.

 

An elfen fretted and panicked, bending down to help up the Page and dust her off. "I'm fine, thanks" replied Helena, and walked off.

 

"Sorry for bumping into you."

 

Helena waited until she was in front of the portal to reply to the tell, grabbing the lever.

 

"It's OK, I was just in a rush. Did you want to go to Lolliprin too?" she asked, pulling it twice and feeling the rusted contraption creak into motion. Using both hands, Helena pulled it down and set everything into motion. The ground rumbled, they heard a great crash, and she smelt nature. When the smoke cleared, a beautiful landscape presented itself to her eyes, and she beamed. She'd done it.

 

"Can I come with you?" spoke a voice behind her suddenly and Helena jumped, not spotting the elfen who looked sheepish. Seeing her again, the Page took in more details; her fur was a mix of browns and reds, her eyes were green and feline-like. She appeared limber like most elfen. "I want to make up for knocking you over, and it'll be fun with a second person."

 

Helena considered it. It had been pretty lonely by herself with just a few denizens. "Sure, why not. Follow me, we'll explore it together."

 

"Thanks! I can't wait. By the way, my name is Rochelle."

 

"Helena."

 

<>

 

Kazen brought up something like bile in his throat and vomited tainted smoke onto the ground. Acrid fumes soaked into the earth and killed the life around, making the area tainted. "I am of the Earth. Awesome!" He didn't have a staff, but fire surged from his hands to burn what life or things remained afterwards. He felt incredible, and set fire to a pig. It ran around squealing and ran into Helena, startling her. A moment later it collapsed as a charred heap, the smell of roast pork wafting up. "Hey, what are you doing here"

 

Helena frowned. "That's not very polite. Does it matter who I am? Rather, what's that coming out of your mouth."

 

"I am a Geomancer, of the Tainted Earth. I am merely reinforcing its hold on this land of Lolliprin. Let only Taint remain!"

 

"I think not" spoke Rochelle, and raised her hands. Green light filled her eyes and the foliage in the room rose up to banish the foulness from the room.

 

"Hey, you can't do that! No fair" objected Kazen and vomited up more taint.

 

"Let Nature run its course, abomination." Once again trees burst up, and Kazen snarled. This time he found it harder, for the elfen had stamped on the ground with her feet and melded with the grass. "Now you will have to attack me to break it. Do you dare?"

 

"Worthless elf, yes I dare!" He broke the one room demesne and lunged at her. Fire surged into his hands while she used green energy to defend herself.

 

"Hey, woah, stop fighting maybe, there's no need for this."

 

"Defend me."

 

"What?"

 

"Defend me then you can kill him without Avenger caring."

 

"But I don't want to kill him. Mr. mage sir, can you please stop fighting?"

 

"Shut up Celestian, do what your city always does and run away."

 

"Please, help me Helena!"

 

The Page hesitated, and then cried out as Rochelle's arm was burnt. Tears came to her eyes but she could not bring up the desire to kill. The druid struck out wildly, nature itself revolting against Kazen's corruptive influence. "For the glory of Magnagora!"

 

Another blast of fire, this time through Rochelle's chest. She gasped and then felt her entire body become charred a moment before she died. "No!" yelled Helena, and looked helplessly at the dead body of her friend. "You didn't have to kill her!"

 

"She insulted my honour."

 

"Right now I'm not seeing any."

 

"You want to be next then?"

 

He stepped forwards and then stopped. If she could read his thoughts, she'd see that a very angry leader in his guild was reprimanding him and ordering him back to the city. As it was, Helena just stood there and brought up her swords. "You have been spared for today, but my wrath shall be known! I am… Kazen!"

 

He walked off, and Helena cradled her dead friends body.

 

<>

 

"What the Nil were you thinking of? Why did you kill her?" yelled the Archmage of the Geomancers as he loomed over the proud Kazen.

 

"She insulted my honour."

 

"How?"

 

"She forested an area I just tainted."

 

"…Please tell me had more of a reason?"

 

"She deserved to die."

 

The Archmage closed his eyes and sat down, a pained expression coming across his face. "You are an idiot. I have to now talk with her guild leader and sort this whole thing out because of your arrogance."

 

"I was defending the guild."

 

"Oh that does it. You're banned from advancing in the guild for two years. Change your attitude, or next you'll be tossed out. Now get out of my sight."

 

Kazen shrugged and held his head high. "I did what I must."

 

"Shut up."

 

<>

 

"Sorry, I just… I don't want to kill people unless it's necessary" apologised Helena to a peeved Rochelle. They were back in Newton and Lolliprin, advancing towards Smoke Mountain. After a moment of awkward silence, Rochelle sighed.

 

"I can't blame you for not wanting to kill. I was taught to respect life and nature together, but he was tainting and destroying the land. I never expected him to just up and attack me, I mean, who does that?"

 

Helena shrugged as Rochelle handed grass reeds to Chanterelle, the shroomie delighted at the prospect of more tailoring. "I was told that those from Magnagora were violent and unpredictable, but to see it…" trailed off Helena, and followed her comrade through the route to the mountain.

 

"Well, he's enemied to the guild and forest now, so if he tries anything else, Avenger will smite him down, good riddance. But let's forget about him and just enjoy ourselves." She took Helena's hand and dragged her up Smoke Mountain. The Page squeezed it, not letting go.

 

<>

 

Several years later.

 

The monastery was silent. Helena Tanestra had ben here many times before, but this silence was not of the tranquil kind, but of the horrific. The air was still, no chanting to be heard. At the front of the monastery lay the corpse of a loboshigaru monk. His robes were shredded, pooling under his body. A jagged wound in his neck gave Helena uneasy thoughts for some inexplicable reason.

 

She drew her axe, slipping it out of the steel frogge and readying it. A noise distracted her attention, but it was just the death rattle of a monk lying several feet away. Blood splattered the walls as she crept along the left side of the hallowed building. Slowly the Paladin walked up the stairs to the next level. Helena averted her eyes from the corpses of the two Masters, bearing similar wounds to their throat.

 

"How dare you! Get away from me!" yelled a male voice from the top of the stairs. She rushed up the rest of the way and turned the corner. 

 

Master Quettle attempted a combat grip but his attacker broke both arms. A strong hand gripped the now frail Loboshigaru. Wings of crimson red feathers flapped gently in the air, splattered with blood. Most of it had shot up the front of the trill's body to create a ghastly spray design. His face was hidden by a mask of black and red, but this was lifted as the mouth beneath stretched impossibly wide and bared razor sharp teeth.

 

"Stop!" cried out Helena, and the figure clamped down on the Loboshigaru's neck. The Fainite pulled away, chewing the flesh between his teeth and swallowing, turning to finally look at the newcomer. Quettle fell to the floor, twitching as he died. The monstrous shard licked his lips clean and lowered the mask back down.

 

"Of course, they'd send a Paladin. Eager for blood and killing in the name of your Supernals. I obviously represent the justified case of murder most foul" spoke the trill, his voice musical through the mask. "Unfortunate as it may be, since you arrive tardy for luncheon, we might be able to scrounge up some desert if you are a good little poisson!"

 

Helena steadied herself, seeing before her an unrepentant and monstrous murderer who would keep on killing in his barbaric way. "Quiet. You are the one who has eaten multiple sentient races recently, correct? The elfen in the Grey Moors, the Orcs in Shallach and the citizens of Estelbar?"

 

"You flatter me. Do not forget my contribution to the eradication of the Death Knights of Shallach" corrected the Fainite. "Orson Feyranti, Blackened King of the Red Masque, at your service. I suppose as of now we can add the Tosha Monastery Massacre to my list of noble deeds! Ah, but I talk too much, merely one reason for my expulsion from the Engine of Transformation."

 

Helena lunged at the word expulsion and Orson flew up, wings exploding from his back. He swooped over and ploughed bodily into Helena from behind. She gasped but spun the axe, swinging it into his shoulder. Orson backed away with a hiss and then cried out as her axe took his arm off. It fell with a thump and Helena held back her gag reflex.

 

"My arm! How am I meant to play the violin?" cried the trill, then laughed. His shoulder trembled and then a new arm grew from flesh, bone and sinew, stronger than before. "Excellent. The loboshigaru have such a lovely rate of regenerative capabilities, and I just ate a whole pack of them!"

 

He giggled at the pun and Helena attacked him again. This time a long trident appeared out of nowhere to plunge into her stomach. She dodged and swung the axe down, his weapon getting under Helena's guard and causing a gash in her side. They fought and parried, darting back and forth.

 

"I sense belief and confident in your attacks. You're no novice Paladin, you actually believe in the Light's values. How rare!" He ducked, swung out his foot and tripped the merian girl up. The trident swung out to hit her away, body flying into a wall. Athletics training kicked in to force the Paladin's feet to spin around and plant themselves on the wall. Helena launched herself off the surface, axe-head knocking the wind out of her opponent.

 

He sprawled across the floor in a manner less elegant, colliding with Quettle's corpse. Orson snarled, uncharacteristic of a trill, and flew up into the sky. Like a dart he fell back down, hovering above and jabbing at her.

 

Watching carefully, Helena waited for the right moment, axe defending her body from the aerial attack. There! She grabbed the handle of the trident as it went past her, and pulled. He resisted, amazingly enough, so must have been strong. Even then, she could work with that. Using her axe to help increase the momentum, the Paladin hoisted herself up via the staff, upside down and then gripped the back edges of the weapon. She leapt off and spun around, righting herself and stabbing the axe from below deep into Orson's chest. The entire thing had happened too quickly for the trill to register, his wings drooping and sending both crashing to the ground.

 

Helena flung herself off, landing on her front, and spun to get her axe back. Orson pulled out the axe as he coughed blood. His insides were healing quickly but that had hurt all the same. "You shouldn't be standing, abomination. What have you done to the body Lady Trillillial gave you?"

 

"It is natural selection, some could call it evolution. My mentor taught me how to cook, and explained the correlation between canniblism and consummation. Whatever I eat, I absorb. Whatever I eat, I become. Once I have eaten from every creature, every race, I will consume the Soulless themselves and become a God!"

 

"You're insane!"

 

"You sound just like my sister. She tasted delicious."

 

"Have you no pity, no empathy?"

 

"None."

 

He hurled the axe at her so she caught it and jumped forwards. Focusing now, Helena saw the tainted energies that surrounded the trident.

 

Holy symbols lit up on her axe in face of the taint and she activated them with a Supernal chant. The fighting began again, his style changing now as he brought the end of the blade closer to his body. They stepped back and forth, around corpses and eventually reached the stairs. She ran down them to the next landing, swinging the axe around to hit his legs.

 

Orson tumbled to the ground with a yell, flipping himself up with his trident weapon and thrusting violently. An artery was sliced, a vein cut open and a scalp flew to the ground from Helena's parry and riposte. Helena panted, her skills unable to keep up as each part of Orson's body regenerated itself with every attack. Even with Divinus energies spiralling around her axe, it was not enough

 

The brittle pole arm was nothing to the Celestial energies radiating from Helena's sword. Another arm came off, this time the limb returning at a slower pace. "It seems you have the upper hand."

 

"You must be stopped!"

 

"No, you're meant to say, 'Then why are you smiling?'"

 

"Is this a joke to you?!"

 

Orson flexed his limb and scowled. His hand vanished into the air, so quickly she thought it had merely disappeared. "I was going to say that I am not a Cavalier, then you react surprised." The air blurred and dark metal sang through the air. A blackened chain wrapped around the glowing axe to yank it away. Seconds later it returned and sliced across her face, taking skin with it. A moan of pain left her mouth, her senses disoriented as a rope found itself coiled around her body. "You're mine now!"

 

She struggled as he started whipping the chain around his body rapidly. "It's not just the chain, my body itself is primed as a weapon to cause unimaginable pain of the extreme sort. Right now this is jakarikoghu, but soon I may even show you the terrifying strike of the umubah."

 

Helena continued to writhe as the chains increased their speed and he walked towards her. Blood caused her vision to waiver and the steel weapon, now superheated by velocity, struck at her temple.

 

Something lithe hit her in the side, throwing the Paladin out of the way before the attack could hit. "What?!"  A large shape burst through a wall and slammed itself bodily into Orson's spine. The impact shot him forwards and into the path of his own chain. He screamed as the sharp blades along its length cut into his skin, followed by his body tumbling down the stairs to the bottom of the monastery.

 

Helena whimpered as she started to get loose, skin hurting from the chafing, and then the armoured fox lunged forwards and bit through the ropes. Helena looked up, hope and relief filling her entire body. "Praise Raziela, I thought you hadn't gotten my message!"

 

Rochelle stood there covered in hair and appearing half stag, half elfen. Two majestic curling horns graced the druid's head as she extended a hand. Helena used it to lift herself up and they embraced.

 

"Of course I did, but I had to prepare myself first. He seemed like a tough opponent, but I'm here now and it will be OK."

 

"Oh will it?!" shouted Orson's voice from below. The air hummed and the floor below them gave out. Psionic energies flickered, the trill lowering his hand. "I am a Ninjakari, Northern scum! I have complete mastery of my body and weaponry!"

 

Rochelle smirked, pushing Helena behind her and stamping the ground. "Oh yeah? I'm a Hartstone Druid, filled with the blood of ancient ancestors! Feel them as I curse you!"

 

Ghostly spirits rose up from the ground and wrapped around Orson, causing him to struggle and fight them off. The druid charged forwards, head lowered, and pushed him through a wall. He groaned, the ancestral ghosts dissipating, and picked himself up. "Snot nosed little kid, do you know not who you face?"

 

"Shut up, and have a taste of Mother Nature's fury!" roared Rochelle. Trees exploded up from the mountainous ground. Branches coiled down and wrapped around the trill's limbs, followed by flies and foliage that attacked her opponent. Her cudgel exploded, peppering him with wooden shards.

 

"Enough!" The vines and plants slowly fell away, nothing more than dead branches and leaves, as a cloud of contagion freed him. A protective field flickered around Orson's body and he picked up a discarded corpse. Sighing, the trill pressed it against his chest and it was slowly absorbed. "Now you will see my true power."

 

"That's not a trill ability! You're-"

 

"Yes! I am a shard of the Great Mother Illith!" cried out Orson as the illusion faded away. A sickly smell of the taint emanated from his body and the crimson mask was covered in glowing runes. Helena thought she recognised peorth runes on it. "Now, remove yourselves from my sight!"

 

He roared, chain flying erratically around the room. Around his body it flickered, his feet and hands exploding out in the middle of the two fighters. Helena retrieved her axe, using it to temporarily stop several attacks, but she couldn't get through his guard. Byahkari, the Ninjakari art of suspended chain velocity, was an ample shield against their various attacks. A fist gloved in metal struck Helena in the chest as Rochelle felt her arm lacerated.

 

"Ashlamkh!" The jakari halted and that was when he struck. Bladed links broke Helena's lower jaw, the other end hitting Rochelle between the eyes. Both women went down and Orson cried out in triumph. The elf yelled out and Helena rose up like an avenging angel. The Light of Celestia healed all her wounds, and the axe severed Orson's arms from their sockets. Limbs and jakari fell to the floor, the Illithoid bellowed, and she swung the head the axe up, breaking his jaw and shattering the lower half of his skull.

 

Orson fell back and twitched, regenerative energies repairing his body; but damn it did that hurt! Bile rose in the squire's throat from the attack's violence yet she held it back. That would come later, when the battle was won

 

Rochelle finished munching on medicinal herbs, jumping to her feet and swaying. Helena went over to support her, and the air became heated. Three streams of fire scorched the air from Orson's nostrils and mouth in a triple attack. They flew apart to dodge the attack but were up and ready, sizing up their opponent who coughed smoke. Dracnari were like spicy food, hard on the throat and violent. The attack ignited the trees around them and Orson strode forwards amongst the flames. His chain was not spinning anymore but wrapped around his fists. "Are you ready for round two?"

 

They were.

 

The druid created a cloud of rain, extinguishing the fire but that was when the Illithoid struck. Hidden by steam, he gut-punched the druid and aimed a kick at Helena's knee. It was lifted out of the way and the axe slid across the metallic fists. Sparks flew up from metal on metal and he spun. The jakari was unleashed but they were nowhere close.

 

A whistling noise pierced the rain's heavy pattering and hit Orson in the back. A pair of antlers hooked under the Ninjakari's shoulders as he fell. A moment later he was flung up into the air, followed by Rochelle. She grabbed his chest and flung him down at the ground. Yanking out the axe, Rochelle swung and released.

 

Orson hit the ground first, then the axe finished off the rest of his back. Rain caused streaks in the blood, the Illithoid picking himself up. Before he could, Rochelle landed back down on top of his body to crush the rest of his bones, the Illithoid mangled multiple ways. "That won't last long, we need to kill him Helena."

 

"Yes you do!" Orson spun on the ground, threw his feet out, and tripped them both. The jakari chain reappeared, this time wrapping around Rochelle's neck and tightened. Blood trickled out while she gasped, unable to take a breath. The druid fell to her knees as the forest came alive. Orson merely breathed another load of fire on what remained.

 

"You stay there, I need to deal with your girlfriend" His hand came down and twisted the axe out o her hand. She punched him in the gut, but he responded in kind. His strike did far more than hers did, and he kneed Helena in the chest. Taking up the merian's prone body, Orson threw his mouth open in that impossible fashion. "Dinner time!"

 

Pain racked the merian's body from the needle sharp teeth She screamed, shuddering in the monster's grasp. Rochelle felt her heart almost tear in two as she struggled to get free. Helena stopped screaming, her life force drained away. "Rochelle…" she whispered, struggling weakly.

 

The druid roared in anger, the ground exploding as Mother Nature herself infused the elfen girl with unimaginable power. Her cudgel grew exponentially and shattered before her opponent, shredding skin but doing little else. He continued to absorb her life force until she kicked him between the legs with a snarl.

 

He let go with a howl of pain and she flung him into a wall. She knelt down and began applying healing to Helena's wound, distressed but focused. She ignored the figure getting up; if her lover died, then they would die together.

 

The rain stopped from her lapsed concentration, and Helena's eyes flickered open weakly. Both women looked at their opponent, his body in a curious rigor mortis. Slowly, Orson removed his mask. Chunks of flesh were torn away, bloodied flesh healing instantly. "What have I done… what have you done?"

 

He fell to his knees and coughed up blood. "No… I'm sorry. No I'm not sorry! What… who is this… this girl I see? Answer me!" he yelled, unable to stand from the weight of emotions running through his head.

 

"Love. Compassion. Empathy. Sorrow. You absorbed the essence of a champion Celestia, who follows Raziela. Are you in pain? I hope you are" smirked Rochelle nastily.

 

"No! No I will not… No! Lord Fain, I'm sorry. I have failed you! I can't LIVE WITH WHAT I'VE DONE! All the people I've killed, the suffering, there's only one thing I can do!"

 

He staggered upright and wrapped his weapon around his neck. "Goodbye, Lord Fain." He tightened, immense strength cutting his throat and killing the illithoid instantly. The Soulless' body fell to the floor, the inner worm writhing in torment and crying pitifully before that too faded.

 

The air of triumph was ruined by Helena vomiting violently on the stone floor, entire body shuddering. Tears came to her eyes, and Rochelle said nothing, just grasping her into a hug and rocking the merian back and forth. "You did so well, babe, I'm proud of you."

 

"The things… he did. I am almost glad he's dead, but I can't be!"

 

"Shh, of course not. Just think of how many people will keep living now that he is dead. One less member of Fain's order to contend with."

 

Steam and broken foliage surrounded them as the two girls comforted each other in a mess of sorrow and pain. The monastery would never be truly clean again, and both felt it.

 

<><><>

 

A mass funeral pyre was erected in front of the Monastery. Loboshigaru from all walks of the Basin had turned up to pay their respects to the victims of senseless slaughter. Helena was there, leaning on Rochelle and closing her eyes with each body thrown on the fire. A rhythmic chanting echoed up into the night sky, the souls of the monks at peace after such a violent end.

 

"I love you" whispered Helena. Rochelle nuzzled her now pure elfen face in the merian's head, caressing her shoulders.

 

"I know."

 

 

Watching from afar, an armoured figure watched from the top of a faraway mountain. A staff in his hand thrummed with earthen magic, and slanted eyes gleamed red.