//------------------------------// // In the Dead of Night // Story: Paladin's Cross // by Sage Quill //------------------------------// "No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." -George Chakiris Morenth made haste, quickly sorting through his pack for equipment he was sorely lacking. With luck he found another long coat, a leather harness and bracers, and lastly his spare cloak. It was far from being considered armor, but would have to do. "Do you think you could hurry it up a bit?" Twilight asked anxiously, glancing around at the sounds of alarm rising from every corner of Hollodrum. In response, the paladin quickly shouldered his pack, wanting no less than the mare to be gone from the alley. It left precious few options to them if they needed to retreat once more, and a look at Twilight's exhausted face told him the they couldn't rely on another powerful display of her magical prowess to save them again. Morenth took the lead as they traveled along the side streets with the terrified girl in the middle and Twilight in the rear. The once distant red glow now dominated the sky as fire consumed the eastern quarter of the town. "So um, what's your name?" the lavender mare abruptly asked the woman, attempting to drown out the noises of the burning town with conversation, or perhaps it was just her natural curiosity peeking through. The shivering woman didn't answer, too terrified or traumatized to respond. "What about your family, do you know where they are?" Again there was no response. Twilight pulled her eyes away from the woman dejectedly, shooting a pleading look at Morenth as he glanced back at them. There was something the paladin could say to bring the women out of her shell, but he dreaded her answer and the effect it would have on his companion. The longer he held his silence however, the more pitiful Twilight's pleading became, and he grudgingly obliged as he prepared himself for the backlash. "Those ghouls chasing you were your family... weren't they," the paladin intoned hesitantly, tightening his grip on Dawnbringer hilt. "Y-yes..." the bereaved woman whispered, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. Twilight gasped as the woman began to weep, collapsing against the stone wall of the alley. Morenth halted his progress and kept vigil down the narrow path, unwilling to witness the grief of the last surviving member of the family he'd slain. The argument could be made that he'd simply saved her from the horrible prospect of being devoured by her loved ones, but such logic seemed hollow in the face of the bitter reality of his actions. He'd done it right in front of her. The mournful cries quickly became too much for the paladin to bear. He glanced over his shoulder to see his companion wrap her forehooves around the woman in a silent embrace. Twilight's eyes were filled with tears as she comforted the survivor whose body wracked with fitful sobs. "Shh-shh, it's going to be alright," the lavender mare cooed softly into the woman's ear with a calm surety that didn't make its way to her features. After several minutes the survivor began to calm down, and even returned Twilight's hug as her tears subsided. "Wynn-my name that is... It's Wynn," the woman said in an unsteady voice, drawing herself up back onto her feet, "My family runs... Used to run a dressmaker's shop in the east quarter." The lavenders mares eyes dropped for moment in response, but recovered quickly. "It's nice to meet you Wynn, I'm Twilight, and the broody one pretending not to pay attention is Morenth," Twilight said in an attempt to dispel the tense situation, motioning to the paladin with an encouraging smile. "I'm sorry, truly," Morenth stated simply, eliciting a look from his companion that told him he wasn't helping. "No it's..." Wynn trailed off, wiping the last of her tears from her eyes, "It wasn't your fault they... If it weren't for both of you I'd be dead, and then I'd be one of those monsters looking for the next victim." The paladin looked upon the former dressmaker with growing respect as she stood up a little straighter, working up the courage to rebuke her loss. Morenth, seeing her emerging resolve, and hearing the cries of alarm looming ever closer, decided it was time to go. "We should move on, any refugees fleeing the destruction will go the western quarter for protection, and possibly evacuation. The town guard should also be gathering there if their captain is worth his rank," the paladin explained. "We should make our way there to learn the full scope of this disaster." They moved with cautious haste to avoid any more confrontations, casting wary gazes down the narrow branching paths of Hollodrum's alleyways. When their progress met with no resistance Morenth fell back from his scouting position to Wynn and Twilight who had taken to walking together in companionable silence. He briefly brushed the lavender mare's mane to get her attention. "You are full of surprises, I didn't expect you to handle the news any better than her," the paladin whispered into her ear. "I didn't, it still horrifies me that tragedies like this happen in your world at all, let alone on a regular basis," Twilight projected, shuddering visibly even in the low light, "But my friend Fluttershy taught me that when somepony cries, it doesn't matter how you feel. What matters is comforting them, and offering a smile to heal their hearts." Morenth made his way ahead of them, taking the role of scout once more. "Full of surprises..." he muttered to himself, sighing at his ineptitude in handling emotional situations. Both the sounds of battle and his spiritual senses cut him off before he could reflect further on her words. From around the corner ahead of them a deep battlecry rang out followed by shrieks of hunger, and horror. "Flee now ye dolts, Ay can't hold 'em off fer long!" a deep familiar voice cried out. Several townspeople flooded out from around the corner, and turned away from Morenth as they fled in the direction of the western quarter, screaming in terror as they went. Morenth heard Twilight trotting hurriedly to catch up as he rounded the side street with Dawnbringer ready in his hand. The alleyway was crawling with ghouls as they tried to worm there way around a lone figure swinging a large, double bladed battle axe with abandon, felling any of the repulsive creatures stupid enough to get close. Despite the stanch resistance, the undead pushed the lone defender back, surging forth in uncaring waves of hungry teeth. "Aye, come forth ye dogs! Bring yer worthless hides to me axe!" the burly blacksmith shouted in defiance as he was slowly pushed back. Morenth roared as he charged to assist the smith in the slaughter of the unholy creatures, crashing into the wall of bodies as he brought Dawnbringer across in a deadly arc. The holy blade ignited a wall of flames from the closely packed corpses as it drug through them in an even line. "Fall back!" the paladin called to blacksmith as he began working his blade in a flurry of slashes along the undead line. "This is no place for a blacksmith!" In response the smith brought his battle axe down on a ghouls head, cleaving it from crown to groin in an impressive show of strength. "Ay wasn't born a smith ye know!" the armorer growled, crushing the head of a downed undead under his boot. "Ay ain't no stranger to battle!" "That, I can see!" Morenth snorted in amusement as he took a back step to avoid a wreaking claw, slicing through the attackers arm in the same motion. "All the same, there are too many! Retreat while I hold the line!" As the paladin words left his lips a flash of purple lanced between them, smashing into the hoard with tremendous force. The blast sent most of the leading undead tumbling over those behind, effectively stopping their advance as the ghouls writhed in an uncoordinated mass of limbs. Morenth looked over his shoulder to see Twilight panting with exhaustion while Wynn crouched behind the lavender mare for protection. "See, even the little missy be fightin'! Ay ain't gonna run away with me tail between me legs!" the blacksmith laughed, smashing his axe repeatedly into the downed ghouls as Morenth fended off the undead working their way over the mass of bodies. "Yuelith damn you, you stubborn fool!" the paladin yelled as Dawnbringer cut swaths of fiery death just over the smith's head. "Twilight! Look through my pack for a vial of red liquid!" Morenth ripped the pack off his back and threw it behind him, his pause from the battle earning him a clawing along the back of his arm. He growled and turned back to the recovering horde, swinging his holy sword with rage against the rising wave of undead. Despite both the blacksmith and Morenth working their weapons viciously in tandem, the unholy creatures had nearly pushed them back to the intersection when Twilight gave a cry of relief. "Ah, I found it!" the lavender mare cried, her voice becoming uncertain. "What do I do with it?" "Throw it!" the paladin shouted, accepting another wound as a ghoul caught hold of his shield arm and bit down. He brought down the pummel of his sword into its face to dislodge it as he noticed the crimson vial sail past his head. "Take cover!" Morenth yelled, his eyes going wide as he grabbed hold of the smith's apron, dragging him around the corner of the alley. Twilight followed suit with Wynn closely behind her, pressing themselves against the opposite wall as the vial broke against the hoard. The concussive force of the alchemic explosive sucked the air out of the paladin's lungs as flames erupted from the side street, engulfing it in a raging inferno that roared with the fury of a raging dragon. Morenth sucked in a breath, and sighed heavily. The alchemists at the enclave weren't going to be happy with him when he returned. He'd taken the experimental balefire potion without their consent, and had only intended to use it as a last resort. 'Well so much for that,' the paladin thought morosely, hastily looking to where Twilight and Wynn had taken cover. It was half obscured by the smoke bellowing out of the alley, choking the sky in a blanket of grey. "Next time, warn me if something's an explosive before I throw it!" he heard the lavender mare fume angrily. She emerged through the smoke and fire surrounded by an arcane barrier with Wynn behind her. The former dressmaker looked frantically at the flames, expecting them to leap out at her. Morenth stifled a chuckle with his hand, surprised he could find a source of mirth in a burning town full of undead filth. He quickly redound a stoic expression before Twilight could notice. "My apologies," the paladin intoned evenly. The lavender mare harrumphed and trotted past him to the stout armorer who was wiping the fresh gore and ichor from his apron. "Are you alright, sir?" Twilight asked him in concern as a flash from her horn cleaned the smith from head to toe in an instant. "Bwahahahaha! Sorry little missy, ain't never been no 'sir'," the blacksmith corrected heartily, slapping a massive hand over his knee in amusement. "The name's Riegar. Riegar Galenwood, at yer service." Riegar kneeled down and took the lavender mares forehoove in his hand, shaking it in good natured greeting. "I-it's n-nice to m-meet you R-Riegar, I'm T-Twilight S-Sparkle," Twilight managed as she was nearly yanked off her hooves several times by the armorers enthusiastic handshake. He released her hoof with another joyous laugh, and she took a moment to recover before introducing the others. "This is Morenth-" "Aye, the broody one with the tight purse strings..." Riegar interrupted with a faux-inquisitive look, causing the lavender mare to snort in amusement. Morenth grimaced slightly at the jab, but held his silence. "And this is Wynn," Twilight finished, motioning to the former dressmaker hiding behind her. "She's a little nervous right now with everything that's happened." "Aye, Ay don't blame 'er. With all the damage that's been done already, it'll be a miracle if Hollodrum survives the night," Riegar said in a suddenly somber tone. "Then all the more reason to be on our way," Morenth replied, growing impatient at the laid back atmosphere settling over the group. "We should make haste to the western quarter, unless you wish to stay here and laugh like an idiot until daybreak." "Aye, was headed there meself when I saw some good folk needin' help," Riegar explained, unfazed by the paladin's combative tone. "Well? Lead the way knight." Morenth pointedly turned back the way they had been heading with a frown, setting a blistering pace down the darkened path. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as the group fell into step behind him, wondering how he seemed to keep picking up strays.