The Paladin of Avalon

MMD · Nov 21, 2018

In a world where Light has prevailed, you are a Paladin of Its Order, sent to eradicate evil on island Avalon – the last bastion of Darkness. Nothing is as simple as it appears.

This is a crosspost of a quest translation initially hosted on Fiction.live. The translation has recently caught up to the original game, and the players can now participate in the story's further development.
As the first and latest posts of the translation are separated by significant gaps both in time and in writing quality (caused by my improved English proficiency), I have decided to re-edit the whole story from the very beginning. I will be posting the re-edited posts here as I go, and hopefully, they will bring some entertainment to the users of this forum. The process will take a while, and until it is finished, this story may as well be considered a non-interactive piece of fiction.

The Fiction.live version contains a couple NSFW scenes that some people here may find dubious (they will obviously not be posted here). I would advise to proceed with caution.

Please enjoy!

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Chapter 1: Survival with monsters

You are a Paladin of the Order of the Holy Light. You have been sent to eradicate evil on the cursed island Avalon, where the forces of Darkness have been ruling for centuries. You weren't sent alone, of course; together with you sailed a full squad of knights, squires, legal mages, archers, priests, stablehands, blacksmiths (only one each of the last three, in truth), servants, horses, dogs, and even a pair of griffins.

Alas, the cursed island confirmed its notoriety. Your ship was caught in a terrible storm and overturned. Now you stand on your knees in the middle of a deserted beach and, praying for the souls of your fallen comrades. And most of all, for your faithful mare Marguerite.

It is, however, not the time to grieve for the dead; it is the time to take care of the living. That is, of yourself and the people of this island still in need of salvation from the evil. Delivering said salvation will not be easy, given that your armor rests on the bottom of the sea along with the ship, and the only weapon you have left is a knife.

You hear a suspicious noise in the bushes. Just an animal, could be, but it could also be something far worse. You carefully sneak into the thicket and prepare your knife. You are ready for a surprise of any kind. That, you are sure of. Vainly. In the bushes you discover...

Amazon
Arachne
Centauress
Cyclops
Dark Elf
Dryad
Gargoyle
Ant-girl
Goblin
Golem
Medusa
Harpy
Minotaur
Bee-girl
Echidna
Mermaid

In the bushes you discover... Light Good and Almighty, what is this?! A creature most strange: a young maiden from the head down to the waist, with the body of an insect below... No! She has one, two, three... eight legs. Meaning she is no insect, but a spider instead. Father Bertram, having instilled the appreciation for bestiaries into you, would be proud. This is a spider-maiden, and she is very big for a spider, as she is for a maiden. If she decides to attack, may Light guard you. But the spidergirl doesn't attack. She whistles a tune, pulls the cobweb between the bushes, and in them puts... bananas?!

Finally, she notices you.
"Could you move away?" the spider says in a low voice.

"What?"

"I'm setting up traps for monkeys and wouldn't want someone else to get caught in them. Step away a bit. Yes, like that. Thank you."

Most Lucent Throne, she is putting up snares for monkeys! No, that's not it. Most Lucent Throne, she speaks! And it looks like she's not going to eat you. The spiderwoman even seems to have forgotten about you. Continuing to whistle a simple tune, she twists the web around another bush. Now, with the spider body hidden by the vegetation, she looks more like a peasant girl at work than a monster. Is she really a darkspawn?!

1. This is not the time for doubt; before thee is a monster that must be destroyed in the name of Light! Attack!
2. Looks like it's just a local resident mutilated by evil sorcery. You should come closer, say hello, offer assistance as befits a Paladin of Light.
3. She doesn't touch you and you don't touch her. You will go:
a) Along the shore, to the right
b) Along the shore, to the left
c) Inland

You grab your knife and rush at the creature whose innocent appearance almost deceived you. Verily insidious is the evil, but your faith gives you the strength to see through the veil of lies. Your very first blow reaches the target, the knife plunging into the girl's body. The spider bounces, clamping the wound on her stomach with her hands. You approach her to build on this success, only to feel your foot get entangled in something. The monkey traps!

You bend down to cut the web, when something huge and dark knocks you off your feet. The spider! Even wounded, the creature can make quite a jump. You try to get out from under her, stab the spider in the belly, but she is far too heavy and tenacious. Something pierces your body, and you cease to feel your limbs...

Some time later...

You're still conscious but cannot move. You are hanging upside down in a cocoon of spider web. You don't know for how long you've been here, like that. You don't know whether the spider is going to eat you alive or leave you here until you die of thirst. You only know that you were a faithful paladin of Light till the very end.

So ended the life of a great paladin...

T/L note: at this point, the game was restarted and a voting system was implemented.
The moral seems pretty clear: do not make stupid choices. They will cost you dearly.

***

1. This is not the time for doubt; before thee is a monster that must be destroyed in the name of Light! Attack!
2. Looks like it's just a local resident mutilated by evil sorcery. You should come closer, say hello, offer assistance as befits a Paladin of Light.
3. She doesn't touch you and you don't touch her. You will go:
a) Along the shore, to the right
b) Along the shore, to the left
c) Inland

You decided to leave the spider-maiden alone. Looks like she's not going to hurt anybody except for monkeys – the evil parodies of people. These creatures' deaths could only perturb the vile heathens who believe monkeys to be the primogenitors of men. What heresy can come to a mind not blessed by the Holy Light!

You advance inland, forcing your way through the thicket. Soon you realize that you might not have chosen the best way. Alas, it's too late to turn back now. And a paladin of Light ought not to back down in the face of difficulties anyway!

Finally, your efforts are rewarded: you come out into a clearing. There, you see a view that would flush any knight's heart with righteous wrath. A tree grows in the middle of the clearing, a girl pressing her back to it, surrounded by seven big men with axes in their hands and clearly wicked intentions in their minds.

Almost throwing yourself to help this stranger girl, you suddenly notice that though the men are humans, the beautiful stranger is not. Pointy ears, greenish skin and hair, feet entangled in roots –they all verily point to her being a dryad. Lo! Dare anyone even start calling monastery education scholastic and useless now.

"Why don't you humanses leave my tree alone and go home before I get angry?" the forest maiden tries to hammer into the peasants' heads in the meantime.

"No, foresting, why don't you hop along to some other tree? We need this one. This, that, and that, and the pair over there. They, you see, are labeled by good sir forester as cuttable. So get out good, or we can make it bad," responded the elder of the loggers (as it was clear who they were, now), and threateningly waved his ax.

"So this is how you talk now!" the dryad almost hissed.

1. Help the men handle the impudent creature
2. Protect the lovely lady from the insolent rabble
3. They will sort it out themselves. Wait till everything is over
4. They will sort it out themselves. Be on your way

Pectoral shirt
Bicolored pants
Amulet of the Order of the Holy Light (with a "Light" spell, can be used as a flashlight)
Family signet ring (golden)
Leather Belt
Knife with scabbard

You decided to let the aborigines solve their own problems, stay where you were, and see how it ends. (+1 Chaos Point)

Meanwhile, the loggers decided to move from words to deeds. Elder's ax flew directly in the dryad's face... and sunk into the tree trunk.

"Blah. Went into the tree. Well, alright lads, chop the tree and the foresting together, she asked for it."

The loggers deftly spread around the tree and the first splinters started to fly, tree sap flowing from the trunk like blood.

"A-and strike – a-and again, a-and again and-and-and... Ahh, what the hell?" The tree's roots suddenly came to life and entwined the men, pressing them against the ground.

The dryad's face appeared from inside the trunk:
"Humanses are stupid, never listen to good advice. Should've left when I offered."

The loggers couldn't answer even if they wanted to. They were still alive, but the roots entwined them so thickly and strongly that they could hardly breathe, let alone speak.

1. Approach the dryad and demand to release the loggers.
2. Approach the dryad and ask for directions to the nearest settlement.
3. Attack the wooden demon, Light is with you!
4. Go look for a place to spend the night.

With the night approaching and your way being unquestionably lost, it didn't appear shameful to ask for directions to some kind of civilization. But ask who? You gave the roots-entangled loggers a doubtful look, turned around, then shifted your gaze to the dryad. Apparently, you had no choice.

"Beautiful lady, could you help me? I got lost and..."

"Oh, another humans. Do you want to cut down my house too?" the dryad gave you a look of suspicion, leaning out of the stem waist-high.

"No, why, lady. I am a Paladin of Light and a Defender of Justice, I would never encroach upon a lonely woman or her home."

"Justice, you say? Justice is good. Did you see what happened here? Help me decide what to do with these," the dryad gestured towards the loggers. "What should I do with them by, hah, justice, hmm?"

"Lady, I just wanted to ask..."

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours, humans," the dryad abruptly cut you off.

1. Light taught to forgive. Make the Dryad let the loggers go, they've learned their lesson.
2. The rascals deserve punishment. Cut off their thumbs so they can no longer hold an ax.
3. The rascals deserve punishment. Let the Dryad turn them into fertilizer.
4. Are you not a paladin? Destroy the vile creature, save the men.
5. Custom choice

Finally, you came to a decision. (+1 Light Point)

"I think they have realized their mistake. Let them go, merciful lady."

"Let them go? Really?" The dryad's eyes squinted unkindly. It appeared she didn't like your answer. You had to explain yourself promptly.

"Think about it, milady. Let's say you kill them. What happens then?"

"What do you mean 'what'? They won't annoy me anymore," the forest keeper shrugged.

"Yes, but others will come in their place. To look for the those who disappeared, to take revenge and cut down the trees they still need. A mob of people may come. We have to act smarter. Let these loggers go and make them tell their kin that anyone who enters you green hall shall die. They will speak about your fearsome power and you won't be bothered any longer."

The dryad took a thought:
"Well, that sounds wise." She turned to the loggers, the roots already starting to slip off of them.

"Did you hear? Get out and tell your kin that anyone who comes to my forest with an ax shall be turned into fertilizer. Is that understood?"

"Understood, miss foresting." With moans, the men stood up from the ground and fairly briskly hobbled away. One of them even left his ax in a hurry. You made a mental not to take it later. With any luck, you would return it to the owner, but for now you needed something more serious than a knife.

"As for you, Defender of Justice, did you want to ask me something?" The dryad's gaze grew noticeably friendlier. After all, a polite word and a sleight-of-mouth sometimes serve a knight better than any steel.

"Yes, beautiful lady, I wanted to know if there's some kind of dwelling nearby where I could spend the night?"

The dryad thought for a second:
"Well, first of all, there's my tree, but I won't let you in, you'll have to excuse me. I think a humans will be better off with other humanses. Follow these morons to the east. When you see the Witch's Tower, you'll know where to go."

"The Witch's Tower?" you tensed.

"Yes, the Tower, the humanses' city is just under it. The Witch is, like, their head. She also has a funny name, either Moguza, or Maraza."

"Morgause, perhaps?"

"Yeah, that's it. Why are you asking me when you know everything already?"

So the gossips were true. The damned heretic Morgause de la Fay found shelter on Avalon. Duty to the Order and Light bid you to punish the maleficar. Prudence advised to acquire the necessary equipment and comrades first.

"Does anyone else live in this place?"

"Well, you can go to the mountain range, to the west. Many creatures live in the mountains and under them, you'll stumble upon someone. It's just that," the dryad grinned, "I doubt you'll be glad when you do."

1. To the east, you should see how people live under the Witch's rule.
2. To the west, it's better to rely on the mercy of wild beasts than to enter the heretics' town with no sword or purifying flame in hands.
3. To the north, it's suspicious that the dryad said nothing about this direction.
4. To the south, to the sea from whence you came.

MMD · Nov 21, 2018

Truly, fearful is not the evil that hurts the body, but the one that poisons the soul. A paladin must eradicate both, but better it is to start with the lesser. Under the dryad's suspicious glare you picked up the ax and turned towards the setting sun.

"May the Holy Light guard you, kind lady," you saluted to the dryad with the ax and went in the direction of the crimson-flooded mountains.

Soon enough you reached a footpath. Apparently, someone did walk around here after all. You examined at the footprints. Yes, somebody had passed here quite recently; he possessed a moderate height but was heavy or carried a big weight, wore boots with no nails, had a hefty club and green skin. All that was prompted to you by your pathfinder flair. And also by the fact that the footprints' owner stepped out of the bushes right in front of you.

"Walking another's road without pay? Not good, lad," said he (or rather, she, you thought after looking more closely) while toying with the club.

"Pay? For what?"

"Are you stupid? For using a private road. Mine, that is."

You gave the semi-grassy footpath a doubtful look.

"And how high is the toll?

"Don't worry, not high at all," the stranger bared her small and sharp teeth. "All da rich trinkets you've got – the ringy, the pendant on your neck. Almost free of charge. Leave the weapon to yourself, I'm not some kind of heartless beast. These are troublesome places and the night is coming."

1. Give the signet ring and the amulet over, your health is more important
2. Attack the robber, teach her how to set her bag for your family ring
3. Trick the robber (how?)

On one hand, the knight ought not to lie. On the other, as a certain eastern sage-commander used to say 'war is a path of deception'. And you waged a war, alone against this whole damned island, so it would be ill-advised to avoid war trickery. (+5 Chaos Points)

"Well, lady, I would have gladly got rid of the trinkets, but I'm afraid that won't be so easy."

"And why is that? Can't pull the ring off? Dont'cha worry, I can accept it and the finger as a set." The robber obviously possessed a rather drastic attitude.

"Oh no, if only. You see, lovely lady, these objects are cursed. Anyone who touches them dies in three days' time, and then the damned things return to me to torment my body."

"That's some shit. You are not lying, are you?" the robber squinted with suspicion.

"I swear by the names of ten thousand gods," you said solemnly. May Light forgive the false vow and the mention of the horrid pagan idols. "Think about, lady: would I have traveled go to these dangerous mountains had I not overheard that here live the experts in curses who could help me?"

"'Lady, lady', stop calling names. I've got a real one – Grysha Zubodyoriha*, the strongest fighter of this island's goblins tribe, meaning of the whole world!" the goblin proudly puffed out her chest. If only there was anything to puff out.
* T/L note: literal translation would be "Toothripper"

"Glad to meet you, brave warrior Grysha, I am Heinrich Osborne Vaylor von Baskerville**."
** T/L note: The name was conceived by the players.

"Wait," Grysha suddenly pondered. "Noone will lift the curse just cause you've got pretty eyes, though some may ask for them. How are you going to pay?"

"Don't worry, la... I mean Grysha, I belong to one of the noblest and wealthiest families of the United Kingdom, so the finances won't be a problem. I don't carry cash with me, as gold tends to be unnecessarily weighty, but the local branch of the Royal Bank will issue any sum on my first demand." This, by the way, was all pure truth. Aside from the fact that there wasn't a branch of the bank on Avalon. You wondered if the goblin knew about this small detail.

"Rich, then. Hm, will you pay me if I help you with this curse thing?"

Now, you certainly didn't expect such a turn of events.

"Do you know dark magic, Grysha?"

"Nah, I myself don't understand it the stuff for shit. But I know those who do. Will you pay me if I bring you together?"

"Well, a mediator is surely supposed to get a commission." Lies are treacherous after all. One always leads to another. You'll have to properly repent for this sin in the local chantry of the Holy Light. Oh wait, there are no chantries on this island either.

"Great, let's go." Grysha shouldered the club and waved her hand decidedly.

"Where to?"

"For starters, we stick it out at my place. Nothing to do in the mountains at night. Then first thing in the morning I'll bring you together with some mojo experts." The goblin started to quickly walk up the footpath.

Having nothing better to do, you followed. When you caught up to her, it seemed like she muttered under her breath: "Worst comes to worst, I can always get a ransom for him."

Soon enough you reached a rock looming threateningly over Grysha's footpath.

"Here we are," the goblin pointed with her finger. In a bit of a confusion, you contemplated the mossy stone. Grysha let out a derisive snort. "Alright, do as I, lad."

The warrior pressed herself against the rock and disappeared.

Sorcery? A special ability, like those of dryads? Hah, no, it turned out to be just an imperceptible split in the rock. It was, however, quite narrow, hard to tell if you could fit. Strangely fortunate it was, then, that you didn't have any armor. Twisting your whole body, you literally squeezed yourself into the slit and found yourself in a complete darkness.

"Holy light, protect me from the dark." A twinkle of light flied out of the amulet and you were able to look around. You found yourself standing in a rather spacious cave entirely littered with animal fur, plates, flatware, children's toys, instruments, and all kinds of other useful and useless things.

"Hey you, careful with mojo here," the cave's owner shouted at you. "But in general, suit yourself. If you wanna eat, there's an unfinished rat in the corner. I'm going to sleep, we are getting up early tomorrow."
Grysha wrapped herself in a piece of fur littered on the floor and immediately started to snuffle.

1. Go to sleep, tomorrow is a new day
2. It's a rare chance. You should deal with the vermin while she's sleeping.
3. You should flee while there's an opportunity.

a. Eat the rat, hunger leaves you little choice
b. A paladin can fast

Well, at least you had a fairly safe shelter for the night. And problems should be solved as they come. As for now, it wouldn't hurt if you rested and ate. Your last meal was still on the ship, and you felt fairly hungry. But to eat a rat? You tried to remember if the Order's Codex allowed it. After a bit of searching, you couldn't remember it mention anything about rats. You examined your treat: the splendid piece of baked meat on a silver plate. A dinner worthy of, if not a king, then definitely a count, if you were to forget the meat's origins, that is. Damn, the rats here were hefty.

At last, after thanking the Holy Light for the given food, you carefully started to eat. Hm, it was actually not too bad, tasty, even. A pity it was cold. Well, you ate, now you could go to sleep. Holy Light your witness, tomorrow going was going to be a hard day.

Island Avalon, Grysha's cave, the morning of the second day

"Hey, whatsyourname, Heinrich something-or-other, get up!" your sleep of the righteous was interrupted by someone's ringing voice. Barely unsticking your eyelids, you saw the goblin's face.

"You are sure good at dossing, sleepyhead. Even yesterday's storm didn't wake you up."

"There was a storm yesterday?" You asked, still not fully awake.

"Ye, and what a storm at that! I wouldn't want to be outside at night. Alright, let's hurry to the mojos, maybe we'll manage to make it before breakfast. It's just that..." Grysha' gaze stopped on your bare feet. After several seconds of internal struggle, she finally said. "Know what, you shouldn't be strolling barefoot on the rocks. You'll hurt yourself and I'll hafta nun you then. Look for some boots in that pile. But see that they're too very expensive-like, hear me?"

"Thank you, good la... goblin."

"I'm not good, I'm lawful-evil. Hurry up before I change my mind." Grysha growled and turned away.

After coming into the ownership of a pair of old but still sturdy boots, you hit the road together with your thrifty companion. Leaving the cave, the two of you traveled further west, toward the mighty peaks of the mountains.

"Quite high they are." Only now you could fully appreciate the view that was opening before you.

"You bet. These are the Grey Mountains, the largest mountains in the world," Grysha said proudly.

"How do you know? There are many mountains in the world."

"Ha, everybody knows that. And have ya seen mountains higher? Me neither. That means there's nothing higher than the Greys," the goblin finished the dispute with her iron logic.

At that moment you noticed someone walking towards you. Looking closely, you realized it was a woman possessing a grand, errr, bust and... horns! Honestly, you should've stopped getting surprised by now.

Upon reaching you, the woman gave a greeting:
"Oh, little Zubodyoriha, good morning. Want some milk? This morn's, still fresh."

"No, Bianka, I'll manage."

"Oh, but you should have some. You need to drink more milk if you want to grow.

"I don't need to grow, I'm tall for a goblin already."

"I'm not talking about your height," the horned woman smiled.

"Then what abo..." Grysha fell silent as red flecks started to appear on her face.

"And you, young man, don't you want some milk? Tasty, nutritious, and good for your health." Bianka turned to you.

"We don't need your milk, you busty cow, get outta here before I turn you into beef!" the goblin finally snapped out of her stupor.

"Ha-ha, it's not good to be envious, little one." And, swaying her hips, the milk vendor departed. For a few more seconds, you stared dumbly at the tail with a brush at its tip as it swung behind her. Holy Light, guard you against sinful thoughts.

"Grysha, who was that?" you asked your companion.

"Bianka, the milkwoman," muttered the little bandit. She still looked angry.

"And she's a minotaur?"

"Well, yea."

A horrible guess struck you like the knife of an assassin.

"Grysha, tell me, is she, by any chance, selling her own milk?"

"Yeah, her husband went to the city to work as a gladiator and never returned. Gotta survive somehow, you know. Bianka is nice, actually, but her jokes are stupid." The goblin warrior looked at you cunningly. "I see you're interested, huh. Like fancy girls?"

"Not at all, I keep celibacy."

"Ye-ye, I bet your Celibacy is somewhere far away and you've got needs like any normal guy, hehe," Grysha said sneeringly. "Okay, more to the joint, I mean point. There are two chairs – two experts on curses. First, Archia – a priestess of the spider goddess. She definitely knows curses inside, out, and all the way around. And then there's Euryale who has no problem cursing whoever herself, got an evil eye since birth. Who do ya want to go to?"

1. To Archia
2. To Euryale

MMD · Nov 22, 2018

This question caught you slightly off guard. You had already managed to forget the purpose of your journey. Thinking about it, any local magician could easily reveal your deception – a disgrace for a knight. And it was also dishonest toward Grysha – vile vermin that she was, she still sheltered, fed, shod, and now worked as a guide for you. It could all be out of vested interest, but... «Looks like you're in a considerable debt, Sir Heinrich. How will you pay it back?»

Ahh, to the Abyss with thoughts like this. You'd find a way to work this out without dropping your honor when the time would come for it. As for now, if you were to fall, let you fall with fanfare. You had heard much about the sinister cult of the Spider Queen but never faced it yourself. In the United Kingdom, it was completely eradicated by your fellow knights of the Order long before you were born. So you had a purely academic interest in meeting one of the priestesses of the Mistress of the Hunting Pits.

"'All the way around', you say? Well, let's visit lady Archia."

"Alrighty, this way then," saying that, Grysha turned to one of the trail's offshoots.

Half an hour of climbing later, you reached a scorched wasteland entirely littered with bones. Human bones, it seemed like. And beyond the wasteland, right in the stone of the mountain, sat wide-open gates. Unbelievably tall, five or six human's heights at least.

"These are the gates of Labyrintown, the underground city," pompously declared the goblin warrior. "Built by stupid and greedy dwarves who were looking for gold in the Grey Mountains. Didn't find any, but instead woke up some Ancient Evil. Since then, the dwarves are extinct here. A while later, some wandering wizard stroke the Evil dead and Labyrintown became ours, the Peoples' of the Dark."

"And why are you not guarding your city? The gates are wide open, come in whoever pleases!" you grinned. It was a good old scout trick: with just a couple light taunts, Grysha would tell you a whole bunch of interesting details about the city's defensive systems. Which may come in handy later.

"Not guarding, eh? Why dontcha try looking up."

Puzzled, you raised your eyes and saw... Throne Trice Light and Holy, that was a DRAGON! The giant reptile was seemingly dozing as it encircled the peak of the mountain. It was hard to estimate its size due to the distance, but the creature seemed to be enormous. Not at all like the portrayals of the starveling on St. George's frescos.

"That's Villenr... Villetr... damn jawbreaker, Villentretenmerth, the Guardian of the Grey mountains and Protector of Labyrintown," Grysha declared even more pompously and proudly than before. "And for the folk, he's simply Villy Daw."

"He doesn't seem like a great guard, didn't even look at us. It appears like he's sleeping, even," you recovered from the shock a bit and proceeded to mock the patriotic goblin.

"What does he care about small fries? Full adventurer parties come to our dungeons sometimes. Let them, lunch sets with home delivery, hehe. Although when the Witch from the Tower sent a whole horde of undead on us, not a single one entered the city. All just literally burned at work, hehe. In this very place, see? Villy is not one to be joked around with."

You look at the scorched bones with a new eye. That meant the locals were at odds with lady de la Fay. Interesting.

"Now stop trampling on the doorstep, let's go."

You walked through the fairly spacious corridors of Labyrintown. The only thing illuminating your way was the fungus, that glowed with a green light and coved the walls in a thick layer. It wasn't very bright, but the scarce illumination seemed to suffice for the local inhabitants. Every now and then, you would come across strange creatures of all sizes and forms. Because of the semi-darkness, you couldn't make them out too well, but you felt their glances. Curious, hungry, nonchalant, all kinds of them. Quite uncomfortable. You put one of your hands on the ax's grip and touched the amulet with the other. Light was with you.

Finally, you arrived at a massive iron door. Grysha drummed at it with her club.

"Priestess, open up, the combat goblin is here!"

The door opened, a huge ogre appearing at the doorstep. The only clothes on him were a leather apron and a spiked collar, so you could appreciate his musculature. Impressive.

"Uuu?" the ogre inquired.

"Let in, big guy. You know me." It looked like the monster's appearance wasn't a surprise for Grysha.

"Uu?" the ogre asked again and pointed his clawed finger at you.

"This one's with me."

After another 'uu', the ogre moved aside and you entered a luxurious hall lit with magical lamps. The walls of the halls were covered in patterns with spider motives, a cage standing in its middle. And in the cage... You went breathless with indignation.

Curled up, a naked girl with cat ears and a tail lay there. Was something like this really normal in Labyrintown?! You turned to look at Grysha. Judging by the astonished look on the goblin's face, she found the sight unusual too.

"Grysha, dear, you are early today," a woman's cold voice resounded from behind. You turned around. You shouldn't have.

You've heard a lot about dark elves. Throughout the Kingdom could be heard the stories of their cruelty, insidiousness, monstrous cults, and terrible vengefulness. The only thing those stories kept silent about was their beauty. The elf before you was just unnaturally, heretically beautiful. Such must have been the beauty of the Mistress of Darkness who came to tempt the Saviour. A chiseled figure, a mane of white hair, eyes whose the very glance of which deprived you of you will. You felt a desire to fall on your knees and pray for her to step on you, the unworthy worm, with her beautiful foot...

"Ah, Archia. What's that you have there?" Grysha nodded towards the cage.

Huff. The goblin's question literally saved you from the temptation. Holy Light, what happened to you there? «Do not relax, you are a Paladin of Light in the very heart of the forces of darkness. Be strong in spirit when facing the heretical power of the enemies of humankind.»

"Interested in my new toy? Can you imagine, I caught her in the storeroom. The silly girl tried to rob me. All the better for me, however, as, according to the Law, anyone who tries to steal one's property becomes a property. Though you are not here to talk about her, are you, dear?" The Icy streamlet of the dark elf's voice seemed to flow right into your ears.

"Nah, we wanted to ask for a mojo consultation. That guy... whatshisname..."

"Heinrich Osborne Vailor von Baskerville at your service, lady," you said, trying to look calm.

"At my service. Entertaining." Archia looked you up and down with a mocking eye.

"Yeah, so, he has some thingies with a curse on them that we need to remove. The curse, I mean, not the thingies," Grysha explained.

Once again, the elf virtually palpated you with her eyes.

"I see. It is an interesting case indeed. Well, Heinrich Osborne Vailor von Baskerville, please follow me to my office, and I shall take care of the curse. You wait here, my dear, the magical emanations can be dangerous. Slave," Archia turned to the ogre. "In the meantime, bring our guest something to eat. And yes, the one in the cage is not a guest."

You followed the priestess of the Spider Queen into every mage's sanctum – her private office. You only had the time to notice a table piled with books, reports, and some appliances when Archia stepped close to you with a sliding motion and pressed the grip of her whip to your throat.

"And now, my dear, when we are finally alone, answer a smaaal question for me. What is a warrior of the Order doing on Avalon?"

1. Tell her you came to rid this Island of Dark creatures
2. Tell her you came to set the island free of Morgause's rule
3. Tell her you always wanted to serve the Spider Queen
4. Tell her "Die, beast" and hit the priestess
5. Tell her something else (what?)
Custom choice: Tell her the truth

Let me tell you a bit about our hero so there are no questions as to why he is sometimes such a patsy.

The world of the United Kingdom is the world of the triumphant Light. Sir Heinrich has only seen dragons on pictures, read about dark cults in books, and was scared with dark elves by his nun when little Anry didn't want to eat his porridge. I mean, he had his share of fights in the name of Light: he drove nomad-orcs through the plains, fought back the raids of mountain trolls, burned pirate bases, even caught a couple heretics, and rightfully earned the title of a paladin. But never in his life did he see real darkness, never did he meet it first-hand. So while in his mind he realizes that he's supposed to be a paladin, a fighter against the forces of evil, in reality, things happen as they do.

Island Avalon is like a wilderness zone of monsters

– like Australia before the arrival of the Europeans – that the Order of Light just couldn't find the time to deal with. Well, when, according to unconfirmed reports, the last known necromancer Morgause de la Fay fled there, the time was finally found. We know the story thus far.

If a lie has led you here, may the truth be your salvation. (+3 Order points, +1 Darkness point)

You decided to tell Archia everything. You confessed to her as you would confess to a priest. Well, she was, after all, a priest, wasn't she? And good or bad or bad the priest, a confession doesn't cease to be one. You told her about the failed expedition, your adventures on the island, how you had tricked Grysha, and how you wanted to fix everything. In the end, you added that you were ready to take on any quests if the priestess agreed to help you.

"So, to summarize, you need help, work, and a solution to your financial difficulties with sweetheart Grysha. And you are seeking it from me, a priestess of the Dark Mother. Is everything correct?" Archia said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"I believe there's a spark of Light in the darkest of souls," you answered firmly.

For several seconds, the dark elf looked at you dazedly. Then, with a laugh, she moved the whip away from your throat.

"Sir Heinrich, I don't know if you are a great fox or a great fool, but you can be useful to me. However, for a start, I'll test you. Do you mind?"

"No, unless I have to do something that contradicts the Codex of the Order."

"Oh, don't worry, you won't have to do anything over your usual practices," Archia smiled. "Moreover, as an advance, I'm ready to pay Grysha for her services and I won't even reveal your little trick, although I really don't understand why you would worry about it so much."

Something was telling you that you were making a mistake. A big mistake. But it was too late to back off.

"I agree, lady Archia."

"Splendid then. Let's go see the silly girl before she breaks something out of boredom again. And be careful, sir knight, you are standing on a paralyze rune. It's activated by sudden movements."
You looked down. Oh Abyss, you had spent the whole dialogue in the middle of a magical trap.

----

When you returned to the hall with the cage, Grysha was already gone. Only the ogre was guiltily clinging to a corner, which looked quite comical when performed by such a jumbo.

"Tell me now, slave, where is my guest? You know, the small, green one?" Archia gently asked her doorkeeper.

"Why is it, I wonder, that the guests I entrust you with wander wherever they like, hm?" the priestess casually slashed the ogre with her whip. The strike didn't seem to be strong at all, but the ogre immediately fell to the floor, cringing in pain. "Well, I'll go get the little rascal out of my apartments or wherever she got herself to again. It will end badly for her one day when I set up more lethal traps. You've rested enough, slave, now bring our knight something nutritious. He will need his strength soon."

You wondered why Archia aimed to feed her guest right here. Was there really no refectory or something similar in her house? Maybe this is somehow related to the dark elves' traditions... While you were thinking about this strangeness, the ogre brought a salver with food. A meat pottage and some fruits. You sat down on a bench near the wall and started to examine the plate's contents. Well, they probably weren't trying to feed you human meat, right? It looked more like poultry anyway.

You took a bite. Tasty, better than yesterday's rat. And then you caught the catgirl's eye. You had saved a man once had been left on a deserted rocky reef by pirates. The poor guy went so far as cutting pieces off of his own legs and eating them. This catgirl had the same eyes as him.

Holy Light, it looked like Archia devised a refined torture for her captive. But you were not going to take part in it. You resolutely walked to the cage and passed the plate through the bars.

"Don't be afraid, eat."

The cat-maiden gave the plates a mistrustful look, awaiting a trick, but then rushed to the food, borrowing her nose in it.

"Uuu!" the ogre resented, running to the cage.

"Listen, honorable guardian, this food was meant for me, which means I decide what to do with it." You didn't know if your words made an impression on the ogre, but he shook his head and moved away.
Before long, Grysha came into in the hall. Her movements seemed hindered, clearly giving away the post-effects of a paralysis. A tight purse appeared on the goblin's belt.

"Hey, Archia said you agreed to grub for her as payment for lifting the curse. So," the goblin lowered her voice, "keep your eyes peered with her. She's that kind of girl, you give her a finger to hold and she'll be sitting on your neck before you can notice."

"I thank you, brave warrior Grysha Zubodyoriha. Let Light bless your strength and kindness," you said feelingly.

"Hey, take it easy," the brave warrior responded, clearly embarrassed. "Well, see you lad, I'll go wet my honest money, hehe."

As soon as Grysha left, the lady of the house appeared.

"I see you've already finished your meal," even if Archia did notice the plate in the cat's cage, she didn't show it. "Let us go then. But first, here, put this on."

The priestess gave you some kind of a hoop. Wait a minute, that was a collar, like the one on the ogre's neck.

"And what does this mean, lady? I don't remember selling myself into slavery."

"What are you talking about, my knight? Does a collar make you a slave? It is but a symbol of your employment by me. Believe me, with it you'll have a lot less trouble in this city. You see, humans are, how would I say it, disliked here. They are considered to be arrogant, ubiquitous, and unappetizing. Well, passable in a soup, maybe. So my collar will protect you from many dangers far better than your amulet."

You hesitated but still accepted the dubious gift. Fine, a paladin in a collar is the same as a paladin without a collar, only in a collar. Let us trust in that.

"See? Nothing to worry about. Now let's go."

"Where are we going?" you asked, feeling the decoration on your neck.

"Somewhere we can test your skills, of course. To the Arena."

You followed Archia through the corridors of Labyrintown. As you went, you met more and more people, but everyone moved away as soon as they caught sight of the priestess. She seemed to be respected here. Or feared.
Finally, you reached a wide corridor through which the crowd virtually flowed in a heavy current of hands, legs, tails, horns, teeth, and wings. But the priestess only sniffed and moved into an imperceptible side passage. You walked up some stairs and entered a room that could only be described as savagely luxurious. Gold, statues, tapestries, and in the middle of all this splendor lay the fattest orc you ever encountered.

"Oh, mistress Archia, what a surprise. Do you wish to make a bet?"

"No, Fatso. I'd like to put in my own fighter."

"This one?" the orc looked you up and down with the eye of a professional appraiser. "Well, mistress, you've got a wide choice. We can put him against any of the other three participants. Firstly, that mad werewolf is still waiting for a formidable opponent. Secondly, I've just received a magnificent exemplar of a Royal scorpion. And thirdly, we have one of the makings of that crazy Tower Witch. Looks as if it was stitched together from several corpses. Which one would you prefer?"

"You know, I'll leave the choice to my fighter," Archia cunningly smiled. "After all, for him, this is a matter of life and death."

1. Werewolf
2. Royal scorpion
3. Undead of the Tower Witch

--Island Avalon, the city of Labyrintown, the Arena, day 2.--
(+1 Dark point for serving the dark priestess, +1 Light point for the opponent choice)

Well, that really was no idle question. You immediately disregarded the werewolf option, these creatures are known for their speed, vitality, and the fact that they could only be killed with silver weapons. Had you had your sword and armor, you perhaps you would have ventured out against him, but not in your current state. Suicide is a terrible sin.

Which left either the scorpion or the undead to choose from. The scorpion seemed to be the easier opponent, but isn't it the prime duty of a Paladin to fight the unnatural violation of the dead? You had already encountered undead when a village sorcerer suspected of heresy unleashed zombies onto you. Not too dangerous of an enemy for those whose heart burns with the Light of Truth. But a creation of Morgause de la Fay must surely be a necroconstruct of a much higher level. All the better – your encounter with the Witch was inevitable, so it would be better to collect information about the presumable enemy in advance.

"I'll battle the undead. But will I be given a weapon for this fight?"

"Why, when you have such an excellent ax? A very manly weapon." Archia raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "Do not worry, when it comes to the real thing, I will provide you with everything you need. In the meantime, try to manage with what you have, I want to estimate your abilities."

«Then look, priestess, I'll show you how a real paladin fights.»

Half an hour later, you stood on the sandy arena of a giant amphitheater, almost deafened by the shouts of the crowd. You opponent appeared from the opposite gate – a huge, fat carcass with a gaping mouth and numerous hands, hatchets squeezed in them. It looked scary but moved slowly and clumsily.

The time had come, it seemed, for the Order's ancient art of cleansing the undead. You bent your knee, placed the ax in front of you, and uttered:
"Holy Light, give me the strength to free the dead and save the lost souls. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. And let the taint begone!"

Strangely, nothing happened. Meanwhile, the monster was slowly but surely getting closer to you. Finally, the ax's edge started to glow. But nowhere near as brightly as you remembered from the last time you had used the blessing. Was The Power of Light really weaker here than in the Kingdom? Or was it something else... Ah, no time to think about it, time to fight!

The monster's cleaver pierced the sand right where you had just stood. But you had already rolled to the side, then cut the freak's leg and dodged another cleaver. Like an annoying fly, you span around the monster, hacking him here and there. The creature struck back with great power, any of its swings strong enough to cut you in half. But the undead was too clumsy to match a trained warrior of the Order in speed and reaction. Meanwhile, every wound made by the sanctified weapon weakened and slowed down the monster.

Finally, the undead stopped and started to stagger. You hit one of the stitches on the beast's body with all your might, and the thing began to literally fall apart. A strike, another one, and only a pile of stinking flesh was left in place of the construct.

Victory. And right in time, as the effect of the blessing had just stopped and, due to the monster's acrid 'blood', the ax's blade crumbled into rusty dust right before our eyes.

"Congratulations, my knight, it was a great fight." Archia met you at the exit of the gladiators' changing room. "By the way, this is for you."

A bit confused, you accepted a weighty purse.

"And what is it this time?"

"Well, I made a bit of a bet on you, so that's your rightful prize. I recommend to buy some weapons and armor with it, they'll come in handy on your next mission. The city's best smithy is not far from here. You won't miss it, just go all the way to the left as soon as you leave the Arena. From there, come right back to me, and we'll discuss the details of our further partnership. You won't get lost, I hope."

You didn't really like the priestess's tone. And the incident with the not-so-successful blessing wouldn't come out of your head.

"Lady, aren't you afraid I'll deem our further partnership disadvantageous for me?"

"What? For a noble knight to leave a maiden in trouble and run away with her money? How could I think something like that?" Archia theatrically pressed her hands against her chest.

"You know, lady, according to the last amendment to the Codex of the Order, all agreements with Dark forces are not to be fulfilled."

"Oh, highly rational. But you, my knight, should have remembered this amendment when fooling little Grysha," the smile in the elf's voice turned into a venomous hiss. "We signed a contract and you will fulfill it. If your conscience won't make you act fairly, my collar will."

"Collar?" you tugged on the hoop around your neck. Well of course it didn't come off. "Interesting. When you handed me this trinket, you didn't mention such features."

"A girl must have her secrets," the priestess smiled. "Although I did say that the collar will protect you from many dangers. And one of the most dangerous things to do in Labyrintown is to try to fool me. But don't worry, I do fulfill my obligations. Almost always."

1. Ravage the scum with a knife.
2. Go to the smithy for the equipment as ordered.
3. Find a tavern and get drunk.
4. Try to flee the city.

MMD · Dec 4, 2018

Chapter 2 – Paladin adventures in monsterland
[X] Go to the smithy for the equipment as ordered.
(+1 Dark point)

"Then I'll be relying on your integrity, lady. Although I think you should be more trusting of people," you said with reproach, leaving the damned collar be.

"Ahaha, oh my lovely knight. Had I suffered from excessive trustfulness, I wouldn't have lived to my years. Disregarding their number."

It seemed like bickering with the elf any longer would be meaningless. It was high time to equip yourself as befitted a paladin. After all, that is what your questionable deal with the priestess of the Spider Queen priestess was all for.

You walked out of the Arena building and tried to mix with the crowd of the exiting spectators. Surprisingly, it seemed to work out. The locals were probably so excited by the spectacle that had just observed, they recognized neither a human nor the newfound winner in you. So it continued until you turned to the street leading to the smithy. With passersby being scarce on it, you immediately noticed several runty figures trying to inconspicuously surround you.

"How may I help you, gentlemen?" you asked calmly, your hand on the knife's grip.

"You could help uss a lot if you croaked an hour ago on the arena. But I wager it'ss not too late yet," hissed one of the pursuers as he moved forward. Now you could get a good look at him. More than anything he resembled a big rat standing on its hind legs. Except that rats don't use clubs. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed that the other 'rats' had also pulled out their weapons.

"Gentlemen, I haven't even spent a day in this city. Is there really someone I managed to annoy? Perhaps you have made a mistake?" you continued to stall for time, examining the future battlefield and looking for paths to retreat.

"Annoy? Misstake? Do you even know how much money we losst becausse of you, freak?"The leader of the rat-likes looked like he was about to choke on saliva brought forth by indignation. "Where did one like you even show up from? Well anywayss, you are about to issue uss a compenssation. Get him, boyss!"

"Wait, bosss," one of the ratlings intervened. "Look at his neck."

"What? What'ss there? Shiess, a property of the sspider witch. Kurrwa. We're leaving." And with that, the 'rats' disappeared into the twilight of Labyrintown as if they had never been here in the first place.

You reflectively rubbed the collar. W-well, apparently like Archia didn't exaggerate its protective properties.

Without further adventures, you reached your destination. The smithy was, indeed, hard to mistake for anything, clearly denoted by a shield-and-sword signboard as well as the heat that could be felt five steps away from the entrance.
You opened the door and entered a room filled with products on display. Almost all available space was filled with armors, shields, swords, spears, bows. You picked up one of the swords for a try. Hmm, the steel was great, the balance quite decent. Then a strange armor grabbed your attention –unlike the others, it made not of metal but of a set of large superposed scales and bone plates.

But where's the smith? You coughed loudly. A crashing noise resounded from the adjacent room and someone literally burst into the shop, stumbling upon a spear rack.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, a customer!" a woman's voice cried out, its owner standing up from the floor. Now you could get a good look at her. The bluish skin, the horn on her forehead, and the single eye all made you remember the legends of the cyclopes – the giants, man-eaters, and blacksmiths of the pagan gods.

"Tell me, dear girl, where is the owner of the shop?"

"The owner? I'm the owner, well, I mean, the shopkeeper. What's I'm saying is... I mean, I'm Piri and this is my smithy here," babbled the obviously flustered cyclops.

"Oh, forgive me, master Piri, I wanted to order some equipment." Wow, a blacksmith girl. Truly, all's not how it should be with the peoples of the dark.

"Yes, of course, what is it you're interested in?"

"Firstly, do you have silver weapons?"

"Can you make anything but a table knife from silver? It's too soft." Piri's only eye went wide. "I can cover armor in silver, of course, but blueing is more in fashion right now."

"Perhaps something magical, then?"

"S-sorry, I don't know enchantment," the smithy's owner confessed, looking like she was about to cry. "But my weapons are really good, no one's complained yet! And I make bows too. And work with leather. And construct multicharge crossbows, noone else in the city can, only I. And..."

"Fine, fine. I readily believe you are a master of your craft," you interrupted the flow of excuses. "Your steel seems to be superb, although blueing isn't really my style. By the way, what's that peculiar armor you have there?"

"Oh, that's a traditional lamellar armor. I made it from Villy's old scales, they periodically peel off of him. I also used mammoth bones and giant crab chitin. In the end, it turned out to be a pretty light and firm armor. If you are interested, I'll fit it for you. Nobody's wanted to boy it for however many years already" the cyclopess finished quietly.

"If you don't mind, I'll look around."

"Yes, of course."

During your long service in the Order, you mastered a variety of weapons from a sling to a partisan. From the steppe dwellers, you learned to shoot their small but lethal bows; from mercenaries - to fight with short swords. When, during a heresy investigation, worked undercover as a city guard, you mastered a halberd. But what weapon did you need now?

There are 1000 gold coins in your purse.

Armor:

(include body, hand, arm, and leg protection). Sorry, this is not Morrowind, nobody sells pauldrons separately.

Leather - 200 gc
Chainmail - 500 gc
Bone/Scale Lamellar - 600 gc
Plate (brigantine) - 700 gc
Full plate - 900 gc

Steel helmet (bascinet) 100 gc.
Steel helmet (nordic), horned - 150 gc. Yes, I know vikings didn't have horns on their helmets.
Steel helmet (armet) with a 'demon's mug' visor. - 170 gc.
Buckler shield - 50 gc.
Round shield (nordic) - 100 gc.
Full-metal triangle shield - 300 gc.

Dagger - 20 gc.
Battle Axe (Scandinavian) - 30 gc.
Morningstar - 100 gc .
Warhammer - 150 gc.
Chained morgenstern - 200 gc.
Short sword (Katzbalger) - 250 gc.
Sword - 300 gc.
Bastard Sword - 400 gc.
Two-handed sword (Flamberge or Espadon) - 500 gc.
Spear - 50 gc.
Glaive - 200 gc.
Partisan - 250 gc.
Halberd - 300 gc.

Slingshot - 20 gc.
Simple bow (ash) - 50 gc.
Composite Bow - 200 gc.
Light one-handed crossbow - 250 gc.
Steel multi-charged crossbow - 500 gc.

1. Ask Piri to get the collar off.
2. It would be better not to touch it.

So, first thing first, you needed a good armor. Something not very heavy and, if possible, not too expensive. Your gaze fell on the notorious lamellar armor. Why not relieve Piri from the stale merchandise? After all, 'dragon scale armor' sounded noble, fitting for an epic saga.

"I'll take this, master."

"Really? T-then wait, I'll remove a couple of plates or it'll be a bit too big for you... Oh, don't misunderstand, it's just that many races are taller, but for your kin you are... What the hell am I blabbing again? I'll be right there!" the cyclopess blurted out and, with the armor in hands, disappeared into the adjacent room where the workshop seemed to reside.

What's with her? Ah, Light with all the oddnesses of the local girls, you needed a weapon.

You took a spear, a round shield, an axe, a dagger – the classic armament of a militia-footman. With a sigh, you stepped away from the sword rack. Unfortunately, right now you couldn't afford the noble weapons. You chose a helmet. Walked up to the ranged weapons. A bow or a slingshot, that was the question. On the one hand, a bow fires further, stronger, and is more precise. On the other, it requires meticulous care and becomes useless as soon as the owner runs out of arrows. And, well, you had no idea how to make new ones, as that's a knights' business. Projectiles for a slingshot, however, literally lie under one's feet. The decision, then, to follow in the steps of David, the giant fighter hero from the Kind Book, came easily.

Gained a class - Free Spearman!

Finally, Piri returned with the armor:
"Here, try it on. It has a quilted lining, so you can put it right atop the shirt."

You got into the armor, tied the leggings and bracers, pulled on the gloves with bone spikes. Well, if nothing else, it was pretty light and hopefully firm, too. You walked up to a shield polished to a mirror shine. The armor's appearance, however, was... peculiar. If the black dragon scales and white mammoth's bone did more or less blend together in their contrast, the chitin of a dirtily grey color brought full disharmony to the picture.

"Ehm, are you taking it?" the cyclopess as apprehensively.

Ah, you weren't taking it for a joust.

"I am," then you remembered about a small problem rubbing your neck under the helmet's mail aventail. "Tell me, master Piri, could you consult me on a certain matter?"

"Of course," readily said the girl. It looked like she was really happy to get rid of her work of armoring art.

"See the collar around my neck?" you asked, taking the helmet off. "Do you know what it is and how to take it off?"

Silence ensued. Finally, Piri uttered in a low, slightly trembling voice:
"It bears Archia DePort's symbol, right? I don't think I could... I don't think anyone in the city would do that. It's magical, but that's not the point. After doing something like that. you'd have to flee Labyrintown," the one-eyed girl fell silent and then finished in a violent whisper. "But I would flee if I could!"

So that's how it is? Oh, something is rotten in the state of Labyrintown.

"Would? What prevents you? Perhaps I can help somehow?"

"You? I doubt it, unless you somehow lend me fifty thousand gold coins to pay off the creditors and suppliers. Ah, forget it, you've helped me already by buying so much. Just be careful with that collar, okay?"

After paying the girl-smith, you left the armory and took a thought. Archia ordered to go straight back to her, but should a warrior of the Order, like a dog, execute every command of a dark priestess? You had time and money, why not spend them efficiently? Maybe go into a tavern, eat, at last, drink a bit, and ask something local frequenters about something useful. Or... you remembered your recent encounter with the 'rats'. Had you had a weapon, it would've gone much differently. Maybe you'd rather patrol the streets a bit and hunt some criminal elements?

1. Come back to Archia after all, as was ordered.
2. Go to a tavern for a meal, a drink, and information.
3. Wander the dark streets and find adventures upon your scaly ass.

Let's make an inventory after all this shopping, an inventory won't make itself!

Pectoral shirt
Leather pants (transmuted out of drawers upon the players' request)
Amulet of the Order of the Holy Light (with a Light spell, can be used as a flashlight)
Familial signet ring (golden)
Leather belt
Knife with scabbard
Lamellar bone armor (includes a cuirass with a skirt, leggings, shoulder pads, bracers and gloves)
Steel helmet (bascinet)
Round shield (nordic)
Dagger
Battle Axe (Scandinavian)
Spear
Slingshot
Bag of lead balls for the slingshot
Purse with 80 gold coins

It came to you that you hadn't eaten anything since yesterday evening. It also wouldn't hurt to wash down today's adventures and listen to what the local birds had to say. Back in the Kingdom, in any of its towns, a tavern would be the perfect place for that. And, in your opinion, the only aspects in which Labyrintown differed from any town of the Kingdom were the appearance of its inhabitants, the lack of daylight, and the absence of horse dung. Meaning, it had to have taverns as well, you just had to find one.

After wandering the streets for a while, you unmistakably detected the desired facility. The goblin, drunk like a fiddler, that flew out of the doors with a boot mark below his back served as a cue. You stepped over the greenskin and entered the drinking house filled with a fume comprised of many smells unfamiliar to you.

Wading through the interior almost by touch, you reached the counter and eloquently knocked at it with a gold coin in front of a troll taverner.

"What would you like, sir? A drink? A snack?" obligingly inquired the troll, wiping his hands on a stale apron.

"Wine. And something edible."

"Beg your pardon, sir, we are simple folk and keep no wine. Got tangle-legs, beer, raw vodka, snake vodka, grain spirit... If you'd like to sniff something, we've got this harvest's spice."

Spice? Sniff? What a strange way to use pepper. In any case, out of those listed, the only drink familiar to you was the beer. A commoner beverage, but it's not like you had other options, who could know what muck they also drank here.

"Beer. What about food?"

"Hmm, I think the cook did really well with the fried sausages today."

You took your order and settled at a free table. You didn't even manage to start the meal when a woman's voice came from behind.

"Won't a brave warrior treat a girl with a drink?"

You turned around and saw a quite frivolously dressed girl with glasses and neat horns on her forehead. Wait, glasses?! Until now, you had only seen the richest men of the Kingdom own this optical luxury, and you certainly didn't expect to meet one in such a facility. Still, it would be amiss of you to be uncourteous.

"Take a seat, lady," you said, stretching a mug of beer to the stranger.

She only grinned in response, took the almost-full jug from the table, and downed it in one fell swoop.

"Whew, thanks. Not often can you meet a human who treats you to a beer and doesn't try to poke you with something sharp." The girl flopped onto a nearby chair. "You know, I might just tell you something interesting if you order me another one."

That's some manners she had. With disbelief in your voice, you wondered:
"Really? Like what?"

"Like, for example, that you shouldn't eat these sausages. The owner usually puts all kinds of stuff in them, and his guard cerberus died yesterday. Got poisoned, I think."

With disgust, you pushed the hapless sausages away. Good thing you didn't have the time to try them.

"Ye, I'd advice to only order the meat you can identify. So, was that worth a bear?" the horned woman smiled with satisfaction.

"Definitely. Can I learn something else?"

"Well, that depends on what exactly. And on what you can pay for it."

1. Ask about Archia DePort
2. Ask about someone who can take the collar off of you
3. Ask about the 'rats' that attacked you today
4. Ask about smith Piri and her problems
5. Ask about something else (what?)
Write-in: Ask about Yomi's glasses

"Then tell me about Archia DePort." You needed to know more about the one whom destiny and the damned collar had bound you with.

The horned girl silently showed you three fingers. What? Oh, understood.

"Owner!" you bellowed over the whole tavern.

The taverner shuddered and fairly briskly ran up to your table.

"What would you like, good sir?" Wow, a 'good sir' already. The cat knew whose mouse it had eaten.

"Three jugs of beer for the lady, a piece of meat for me. And one more thing," you continued in a low voice. "Dare palm me off something moldy again, I'll make a roast out of you. Is that clear, good sir?"

The troll grew even greener than usual and babbled:
"Don't you worry, your excellency, everything will be at its best." And, after making you into a count, the taverner swiftly disappeared but then returned, as swiftly, with beer and a lamb side seasoned with garlic sauce. Now that was quite better.

Your informant emptied one of the jugs and began:
"About Depora, then. Alright, listen. She appeared in the city, Enma grant memory, about two hundred years ago. Came alone, in tatters, asked for shelter. Said she's the last of her House and the others were, she said, killed by their enemies. Maybe that's true, or maybe her own folks kicked her out into exile, who knows. Anyway, for a while out elfling kept very, very quiet. Did some conjuring, preached about her spider queen, but that's whatever, people here worship all kinds of things. Orcs have their the Big Brother who watches over them in the form of a giant flaming eye, trolls respect the Black Overlord, what's with that one's huge, err... spear. Oh, I got distracted. Anyway, before anyone could bat an eye, she became a member of the Council of Elders, which is, I tell you, almost impossible without a support of a clan. And she, just like that, slipped in with no soap. Although that doesn't seem to be enough for her, the girl aims for the chair of the council's head. Except she's out of her league. You could be as wonderful a sorceress and priestess as you want, but the council will never allow an outsider to rule over it. So only a miracle can help her here."

"A miracle? What sort of miracle?"

"How would I know? It's just a saying, I meant she'd have to do something grand. Like, I bet you heard about the 'kill a dragon – get a princess' schtick, right? And half a kingdom to boot."

"Nobody will give you a kingdom for killing the local dragon. You're more likely to be stoned to death."

"Ye, and there's only one princess on this island. Sits in her tower, and I'd rather she stayed there for another century, yet another power-hungry bitch. Overrunning the island, all these... Ah, to hell with them, let's drink!"

'Princess'? Who was she talking about? Oh right, Morgause was of royal blood, which was preferred to be politely omitted so as not to cast a shadow over the Kingdom's ruling house.

You drank, ordered more beer, and asked the question that's been bothering you for a while.

"Tell me, l-lady..."

"Just Yomi."

"Verrry nice to meet you, I'm Heinrich. Tell me, Yomi, where did you get these wooonderful glasses, hm?"

"Oh, that's a boring story. When I was little and totally stupid, I argued with a certain harpy about which one of us could look at the sun longer without blinking, and lost."

"And then what?"

"And then nothing, harpies have a different eye structure, and I was a stubborn idiot. The eyesight came back eventually, but since then I can't see as well anymore."

"So, where did you get the glasses?"

"Ah, Euryale Snakehaired made them for me. She had an interest in optics at that time and was always fiddling around with us, the little ones. Still does."

You had another drink, and then some more. The beer turned out to be stronger than you expected. Then you suddenly noticed that Yomi is really nice and her horns only add to her charm. Then your chairs somehow ended up next to each other. You wanted to see her glasses up closer, and the two of you bumped heads, and then you apologized a lot. And then you drank bruderschaft. Then you decided to find out if your collocutor's clothes were actually made of tiger fur. And then you felt playful claws under your lamellar skirt. And then came an ogre in a leather apron and, despite all of your protests, shouldered and carried you off somewhere.

Some time later, you were unloaded in front of Archia. The priestess was in her usual tight-fitting attire but for some reason had a rolling pin in her hands. The pin shot up and slammed you in the ear. Ouch.

"You know, my knight, we have been acquainted for less than a day, and I already feel like a wedded wife waiting for her husband to return from a bender," the dark elf said in her usual cold voice. "Go sleep it off, tomorrow we'll have a serious talk."

Ah, so that's what the pin was about. Funny. Painful and gave you a ringing ear, but funny. «A ringing ear is an omen. Of what? Don't remember.»

With that thought, you fell asleep.

MMD · Dec 5, 2018

--Island Avalon, Labyrintown, Archia DePort's house, the morning of the third day.--

You opened your eyes and was welcomed by the sight of a ceiling covered with web-like patterns and symbols of some kind. You tried to recollect the events of the past day, starting with the deal with a dark priestess and ending on the drunk spree with a girl who looked pretty similar to an imp. Uh, that was not the most appropriate behavior for a paladin of Light. And the headache was surely a punishment of the Lightful Heavens for your sins.

Carefully, trying not to wake up the bells of pain in your head, you stood up from the bed. Bed. Apparently, Archia was merciful enough not to leave you on the floor, so you had been undressed and laid on a luxurious bedding. Undressed?!

You looked yourself over. The results of the examination confirmed your worst fears: the only clothes on you were the ring, the amulet, and the collar. Panicking, you turned around and breathed a sigh of relief: your clothes were carefully folded and lay on a little table at the bed. The newly purchased armor and weapons were here as well, on a mannequin.

You reached for your pants and the headache pierced your head with new strength. Verily, the alcohol was invented by the King-Demon to laugh at mankind.

No less than half an hour had passed before you, after finding a jug of water and visiting the restroom, finally came to your senses. Having dressed and armed yourself, you walked out the door, just to find the ogre who had spoiled your evening yesterday already waiting for you. Err, you meant to say 'who had saved you from the sin of fornication'. Your savior made a gesture, inviting you to come after him.

Following the ogre, you entered a room you'd never been to before – a library, judging by the number of books and scrolls it housed. In a chair in the middle of the room sat Archia, a book in her hands.

"I see the valiant sir deigned to get up," the elfess uttered, not looking up from her read.

"Lady Archia, I have to apologize for my behavior yesterday."

"It's nothing, your moral character wasn't why I chose you for the mission. For some reason, we, the dark elves, do not really honor this trait."

"By the way, lady, wasn't quite dressed when I woke up..."

"Of course. You were quite dirty when you returned. And even during our first meeting, you weren't shining with cleanliness either. Is bathing forbidden by the Codex of your Order? In any case, I ordered the slave to wash you before dragging you to the guest chambers." Archia fell silent and, for the first time since the beginning of the conversation, looked up at you. "Or did you get a different idea?"

"No, of course not." Alright, you needed to promptly change the subject. Fortunately, it was high time to talk about a certain matter. "Lady DePort, you promised to tell me about the mission you are going to entrust me with. If you still are."

"I am. You are strong enough, lucky, extremely flexible for a warrior of Light, and, most importantly, new to the island and not involved in the local intrigues. So listen," the priestess continued in a voice of a narrator of legends, "waiting for you is a road far and dangerous, through the Enchanted Forest full of terrible wonders, through the green fields of Centauria, to the heart of the Great Swamp, where, in an underground palace, lives the Mistress of the Swamp. A Rune Staff she has, obtain it and bring it to me."

"What do you mean by 'obtain'?"

"Acquire by any means the Codex allows you. If you want, kill the old snake, she is in all respects a filthy vermin. If you want, convince her to give it away. If you want, steal it, or don't if the Codex forbids. Improvise."
"One more question, lady: why do you need this staff?"

Archia though for a few moments, then spoke:
"As you may know, my dear Knight, we here in Labyrintown have a certain problem with a certain human witch."

"Morgause de la Fay, the Witch of the Tower."

"Yes, 'the princess of Avalon', as she calls herself. This person desires to control the entire island. As far as I know, we are not the only ones disturbed by her; the tribes living on the surface are worried a well. Her necrosaurs even tried to capture the Swamp. That was very unwise on the girl's part. But with time, the Tower Witch will gain experience and strength, soon she may become truly dangerous. Which is why I want to destroy her before that time comes, and for that, I need the Staff. Well, do you agree to help me?"

Now was your time to think. On the one hand, giving a powerful weapon into the hands of a dark priestess was a bad idea. On the other, Morgause remained the priority objective of the Order, and it was your duty to punish her. So then, may one evil destroy another. Divide and conquer, as bequeathed by a certain ancient conqueror.

"After I bring you the staff, our contract will be nullified, correct?"

"Yes, naturally. I'll get the collar off of you and reward you generously. I'll be ready to grant you any wish. Within reasonable boundaries, of course."

Any wish, huh? In your head swept obscure visions of the naked and tied up Archia and a whip in your hand. Light, what the nonsense creeps into that head of yours sometimes.

"I agree, lady. However, you've left one thing out. I really am new to the island and simply don't know the road to this Great Swamp. Perhaps you can give me a map?"

Archia noticeably relaxed. Only now you noticed how tense she was this whole time.

"A map? Ha, I'll give you a guide. There is a certain harpy who is in my debt, she will readily keep you company. You have nothing against birds, do you?"

1. Agree to the harpy.
2. Say that a tested guide, such as Grysha, would be better.
3. Say that it would be better if the catgirl worked hard to atone for her faults rather than aimlessly kicked about in a cage.
4. Say that smith Piri is in urgent need for money and will most probably agree to serve as your guide.
Write-in: Say that it would be better if the catgirl worked hard to atone for her faults than aimlessly kicked about in a cage.

A guide? You'd prefer a map, and if take anyone at all, then the ogre. He'd be very useful as an assist, could carry all the equipment, and even help you in fights. But then you remembered the eyes of the cat you had encountered yesterday. It looked like Archia was ready to do anything for the success of this undertaking. All you had to do was convince her it would be more expedient to let the prisoner go. And a there was nothing wrong with a bit of flattery here.

"My mistress, I have a more fitting candidate for the role of a guide. That catgirl may prove to be useful."

Hearing the word 'mistress', the elf raised an eyebrow.

"My toy? Of what use can it be?"

"She managed to get into your chambers, which signifies a considerable talent. You won't find a better aid if we end up having to steal the Staff. "

Archia took a thought.

"Hm, that's not a bad idea, but I'm afraid I... overdid it a bit with her. The toy is broken. Although you should see for yourself."

The two of you moved to the room with the cage. With a snap of the priestess' fingers, the door of the cage swung open.

"Come, dear," Archia called gently. The catgirl trembled all over but did crawl out of the enclosure and approached the elf.

The priestess gently embraced the cat, which made the shake even harder, and pinched the girl's side:
"Poor thing, you've grown so thin. You don't take care of yourself at all. You know, I have a mission for you. Do you know where he Swamp Mistress lives?"

A nod.

"Can you lead this knight there? And help him with a certain delicate matter in your line of specialization? Do that and I will free you. Do you understand?"

An energetic nod.

"How rude, I'm doing you such a favor, and you don't even say thank you," the priestess scolded the cat, playing with her ear.

The girl slipped out of the embrace, knelt before the elf, and kissed the tip of her shoe. Archia thoughtfully pressed a finger to her chin and addressed you:

"Hmm, I'm not sure she will be of any use now. But if you, my knight, want to tinker with this kitten so much, then do as you please. I'll send the harpy with you anyway."

"My lady, I'm sure regular meals and walks in the fresh air will bring this kitten to her senses." Your eyes wandered to the naked girl's body. "But we can't have her hit the road like that."

"Indeed. Let's go dress you up, my dear." The priestess turned to the ogre. "Slave, serve breakfast in the blue dining room. For three people."

During breakfast, you tenderly watched the cat, dressed in matching clothes and the same collar as you, stuff herself with four plates of food in a row. Meanwhile, Archia held a briefing:
"So, I have gathered everything necessary for your journey: provisions, medicaments, a couple of explosive potions, a magical salve to walk through the swamp, ropes, torches, cloaks, disinfecting water jars, a change of clothes... I hope I didn't forget anything."

"And I'll have to carry it all, aren't I?"

"Well that is your male duty," the elf smiled slyly. "You can also load some onto the kitten. After all, it was her presence that increased the volume of provisions so much. Although at this rate, even that won't last long."
"Don't worry, my mistress, I'll hunt along the way. We won't die from hunger."

"Well, as you wish. The harpy will be waiting for you at the exit of Labyrintown. The name's Aella, although you won't miss her – it's hard to come by someone as rowdy. Alright, had your sit before the long journey? Now be on your way."

With full ammunition and a backpack, you walked the streets to the city gate. The catgirl lagged behind with a small bag.

"Hold on, buddy." You turned around and realized that it was your companion who addressed you.

"You can talk? I mean, lady..."

The cat interrupted you with a gesture.

"Don't sweat it, we're kind of in the same boat here. So let's go by the names. I'm Mariska, and you?"

"Heinrich Osborne Vailor Von Baskerville, la... I mean, at your service."

Marishka puzzledly folded her ears.

"Uh, got a shorter version? Mom-dad didn't call you by that name when you were little, did they?"

"My venerable parents rarely called for the family's seventh son. But when I was a squire, seignior called me Anry." You stopped and took another look at your companion. It was a startling transformation – the miserable, downtrodden creature that you had seen just half an hour ago gave place to a girl full of life and energy. "Tell me, Marishka, how come you have so suddenly changed? I thought you were in a really bad shape."

"So did that bitch-eared slut, that's why she was too bored to play with me any longer. But anyway, thanks for getting me out. A bit longer, and I'd actually kick the bucket there. The Father of Lies must've gotten me to run into that imitator chest."

"I didn't really get you out, we are still bound by the promises and the collars."

"I personally didn't promise that bitch anything. And we'll think of something about the collars. Maybe we'll whistle away that thingy for the elf and maybe someone else will get them off of us." Marishka stretched out her hand to you. "What do you say, Anry? Partners?"

"Partners." You shook the girl's hand. It was soft, but you could feel sharp claws hiding in the fingertips.

"Okay, partner, let's go take a look at what a wad of feathers has been foisted on us."

You almost reached the gates when you noticed a familiar company of rat-likes off to the side.

1. Offer your partner to hunt some rats.
2. No time for distractions, there is a harpy waiting for you.

A paladin ought not to think about revenge. But on the other hand, isn't it one of the duties of a knight to protect civilians from criminals of all kinds? And you had a chance to see for yourself the criminality of this particular tailed kind. It also wouldn't hurt to test Marishka's strength in a fight.

"What do you say about some rent hunting, partner? I mean, how about improving the city's crime situation?"

"Ah, those nezumi smugglers," the cat immediately realized. "You got a problem with them? Been coming down on you?"

Smugglers, then. In this case, this certainly made your conscience rest easy and the good deed approved by Light.

"Something like that," you nodded. "Let's say I don't want someone else to end up in my place."

"Got it. Are we wasting them?" Mariska busily inquired.

'Wasting'? Did she mean killing? Eh, that'd be going a bit overboard.

"No, I just want to hammer a little respect for the law and the rights of others into them. Some people don't understand otherwise."

"Alrighty. Partner, if that's the case, I'll borrow your feather, cool?" the cat twirled your dagger in her hand.

What the demon, it was just in your boot. Alright, you'll have to keep a closer look on your things.

You approached the group of the nezumi-rats. It looked like they were so into whatever they were doing, you weren't noticed right away.

"Good day, gentlemen. Mind sparing a minute or two?"

s if out of nowhere, Marishka appeared behind the smugglers' backs.

"Hey, nakedtails, you squirts ganged onto my pal and now will be stumping up a fine to the defenders of public order. Us, that is," the cat declared, playing with the dagger.

What's she twaddling? What fine? Wait, were you robbing them?!

The face of the nezumi leader twisted into a grimace:
- You completely nutss, elven asswipess?!! I am the adjutant of the Rat King, he'll eat you alive!"

Swoosh. Marishka's dagger shaved half the leader's mustache.

"Let's debate who's whose asswipe, 'lrighty?" the cat smiled, an unhealthy sheen in her eyes.

Okay, it was time to intervene, or this would end in lots of blood. Although by the looks of it, you weren't the only one to get that idea, as two of the rats simultaneously threw their knives at Marishka. The girl dodged, but the leader, not being a fool, managed to sneak behind the backs of his subjects and squealed from there:
"Maim, kill! A thoussand gold coinss to the one who killss the cat!"

Well, here we go. You accelerated and barged into the nezumis' formation akin to a cannonball, spinning your spear like a battle staff. Bam. Bam. Bang. Bam. Yeaah, not the most formidable opponents.

When the bravest of nezumi ended up stunned on the ground and the smartest ran away, you noticed that Mariska leaned over the leader with her dagger.

Now, this was unnecessary!

"Don't worry, I won't kill him," the girl explained as she caught your eye. "Just take his dearest part."

With these words, she cut off the rat's purse and screwed her face in disappointment:
"Pff, not even five hundred coins. The guy was full of shit."

You just couldn't stand behind this.

"Listen, Marishka..."

Your diatribe was stopped in its tracks by the appearance of a new character – a hefty, armored troll with a siege crossbow in arms. Seeing you, he threw up the crossbow and shouted:
"City guard! Stop right there, criminal scum!"

"Hazard! Beat it, partner." Marishka grabbed your hand and the two of you ran towards the gates.

«That's... Not the proper kind of crime fighting,» is what lingered in your head while you were dodging crossbow bolts.

Strength – 80
Agility – 80
Intelligence – 40
Charisma – 100

Man of Honor - cannot break a given promise
Golden tongue - advanced persuasion

Power of Light - short-term strength amplification
Lion's dash - instantaneous dash a few meters forward
Jump of Faith - ability to jump from great heights and remain unharmed
Blessing of the Сleansing of Taint - a blessed weapon can harm the undead
Exorcism - banishing creatures from other planes
Blessing of the Merciful Light - accelerated regeneration

Servant of the Dark Priestess - you are preferred not to be messed with on the streets of Labyrintown.
Free Spearman - your main weapon is a spear

When you were finally leaving the dark depths of the underground city for the Heavenly Light, some clawed, feathered beast knocked you down to the ground. You almost struck the creature with a knife but timely realized who it might be.

"You're late! I'm waiting and waiting and he's still not here and not here. I had time to have to breakfasts already. You are Heinrich, right? I'm Aella, the fastest harpy of the Grey Mountains. I'm not just bragging, got the first place in the last competition! By the way, mistress Archia didn't tell me you were so handsome. So listen..."

"Get off him, you cuckoo pants!" Marishka interrupted the word dump.

"Oh, a kitten! How cute! You coming with us too, right?"

With an imperceptible movement, the harpy flew up from you and appeared in front of the cat. Surprised, Marishka stumbled back, flopped down on her butt, and immediately, angrily hissed:
"Listen, you, chicken. You do that one more time and this cute kitten will scrag and eat you. Got it?"

"Mea~nie," the harpy drawled, but nonetheless flew away to a safe distance from Marishka.

Now you could, at last, take a proper look at guide. She would've looked like a teenage girl if not for the yellow eyes, wings and clawed paws in place of hands and feet. The harpy didn't sit still for a second, she was flying up and sides, touching up her feathers, curiously looking at either you or the cat.

"Okay, ladies, nobody' is going to etatanyone. From now on, we are a team and live together peacefully," you said strictly, fixing the girls with a stare. "Deal?"

"All~righty, I don't really mind. And anyway, mistress Archia said you are the boss and I hafta listen to you," Aella reported.

Marishka snorted, wagged her tail angrily and finally muttered:
"Fine, partner. I won't touch the bird if she stays away from me."

Ohh, these two were going to be a headache. Anyway, right now there were more important things to worry about than wars between birds and cats.

"Wonderful. Aella, what about our route?"

"Well, most of it goes through the Enchanted Forest. Would be good to cross it quickly as possible, it's sometimes not very nice at night. But you can't fly, right? Then we'll have to spend the night there several times, be ready. After that, we quickly run through Centauria, try not to catch anyone's eye, and voila, we are at the Swamp."

"Yeah, just start and finish," the cat growled. "Then why are we wasting time on chatter? Let's go."

You went down the mountain slope and walked in under the green canopy of the forest. For now, nothing confirmed its ominous fame. You and Marishka walked between the trunk columns on the carpet of moss and ferns, while Aella fluttered from branch to branch, showing you the way.

Suddenly, a flock of creatures flew out of a hollow tree and started to swirl around you. One of the creatures landed on your glove and, with astonishment, you realized it was a small girl with dragonfly wings.
"Fairies. Little annoying dodgers," the cat explained briefly.

The fairy stuck her tongue out at Marishka and sped away to follow her friends.

"That's not right, kitten. Of all the local dwellers, they are the most peaceful," the harpy intervened.

"Stop calling me kitten, chicken. I've got a name."

"Ye, really? You never introduced yourself. I got a name too, and a very beautiful one – Aella. It means 'whirlwind'. And what's yours?"

"Marishka. I have no idea what it means."

"Marishka, Marishka," the harpy repeated, as if tasting the word, "Nah, don't like it, I'll call you Kitten."

"Argh, you chicken!" the cat flew into a rage and jumped to the branch Aella occupied. But the fastest Harpy of the Grey Mountains had already leaped onto another. This cat-and-chicken game repeated several times and it looked like neither of the girls was about to stop.

You decided that it was time to interfere.

"Ladies, I'm glad you're having so much fun, but isn't it starting to get dark? I think we should look for a place to sleep."

The harpy started up:
"Oh, You're right. Let's go, I've found us a wonderful tree."

"Are you completely mad, chickenhead? You suggest we sleep on a tree?"

"What, are you afraid of heights, Kitten? Don't worry, you can tie yourself to the branches and sleep in peace, like under mama's wing."

"I'm not afraid of heights! But we can neither build a fire nor cook food on a tree. And some of the local beasts can climb trees too. And we just passed a great clearing near a lake, a perfect place for a camp."

"Hey, that's not fair! I'm your guide and I'm choosing places to sleep," the harpy yelled with resentment.

"Mother Cat, what is this punishment for? Partner, at least you tell this fool," Marishka addressed you.

"Ye, ye, tell where's safer," the harpy suddenly supported her.

Well, making decisions is the main duty of a commander. But really, where should you sleep?

1. On a tree.
2. In the clearing.

MMD · Dec 5, 2018

You didn't want to doubt your guide's abilities, but being on a tree, moreover tied to a tree, you would be absolutely helpless if something were to happen. You also found the light of a real fire quite calming.

"Listen, Aella, as a human, I would be more comfortable sleeping on the ground, forgive me such a weakness."

"We~ell okay, the boss calls the shots and all that. I suggest, you decide," the harpy reluctantly agreed.

You returned to the clearing that caught Marishka's eye. It was a nice place for a camp indeed – a flat green meadow next to a small but clear and pretty deep lake.

"I'll go fish," the cat declared and went to the lake.

How was she going to fish without a tackle, you wondered. The answer turned out to be very simple.

Marishka went knee-deep into the water, seemingly looking for something. With an imperceptible swing of claws, a silvery fish plopped onto the grass, and the cat proceeded to stand still, her butt sticking out appetizingly. Aaalriight, time to go gather some firewood. Physical labor, you know, distracts from sinful thoughts.

While picking up brushwood, you thought of the security measures you were going to have to use. The fire had to be burning all night: it would scare the normal animals away and the darkspawn would find you with or without one. You also had to distribute the night watches: the energetic harpy could stand watch first, the cat with her night vision would get the midnight, and you could take the hardest pre-dawn hours.

Your contemplation was interrupted by another squabble between your companions:
"Hey, Kitten, wanna bet if I'll catch more than you?"

"Get away, chicken, you'll scare all the fish away."

"Ha, you're just afraid to compete with the unmatched me."

"Nyah, you'll drive me to a point and we'll have fowl for dinner instead of fish, got it?"

So, here was a lesson for you: do not leave your subordinates idle. Hah, and you had always wondered in your squire days why did seignior send you to clean his armor ten times a day.

"Aella, I've got a task of strategic importance for you."

"Really? What?" the harpy livened up.

"Gather strategic fuel for our strategic fire."

"You mean firewood? Okay," Aella disappointedly ruffled up her feathers but did fly off for the 'fuel'.

After distributing the watches and eating the baked fish, you wrapped yourself in a cloak and fell into a dreamless sleep.

...

The feeling of someone's stare woke you up. You opened your eyes and almost yelped seeing two glowing eyes hover over you.

"Marishka? What is it, time for my watch already?"

"That too. But actually, we need to talk, partner," the cat whispered.

"Alright, but why the whispering?"

"Because birds like these have sharp ears and I'm not sure if ours is sleeping or just pretending to," Marishka said, leaning to your ear.

Now she almost lay on you. From the side, it definitely looked rather ambiguous. But this didn't seem like the time to fool around – the cat's voice was extremely serious.

"You don't trust Aella?"

"Not for half a copper. Think for yourself, that bitcheared priestess couldn't have sent a complete idiot on such a mission. And this one acts like a milksop on a picnic. Which means she's playing a fool."

"Maybe you're paranoid, partner?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I want to live longer," the cat got off of you, allowing you to stand up. Marishka instantly curled up in your warmed place and snuffled peacefully, as if the anxious conversation never happened.

You cranked the fire, tossed in some firewood, squinted an eye at the harpy who was sitting on a high branch. Aella was sleeping peacefully, head under her wing. Nothing in her betrayed a vicious plan. Maybe the cat-thief simply had too rich of an imagination?

Splash. Splash. It seemed like some fish left uncaught by Marishka was rollicking in the lake. And, judging by the bubbles on the surface, it was a pretty big one.

Taking you spear, you walked down to the lake. Hm, it didn't look like anything dangerous was... A tentacle sprung out of the lake's depths and entwined your leg. What the demon?!!

"Alarm!" you shouted, piercing the tentacle with the spear. But a dozen more sprung from the water.

You discarded the useless spear and took out the axe.

"Light, give me strength!"

Fighting back the lake monster, with a corner of your eye you noticed the tentacles entangling Marishka and lifting her into the air. But the harpy was already rushing to help, tearing the appendages with her claws.

"Ha, I told you I fish better! Because I am Aella Whirlwinged, the fastest harpy..." crack. One of the tentacles struck like a whip, knocking the harpy to the ground.

Meanwhile, the lake's surface practically boiled from hundreds of new appendages.

"Partner, do something already!"

Do something? Don't shoot the paladin, he's doing what he can! Wait, shoot... of course!

Dodging the tentacles, you ran to the backpack, snatched an explosive potion, and threw it at the center of the lake with your slingshot. You just hoped you had grabbed the right vial.

You did. The vial exploded, a column of water flying up in the air as the tentacles crawled back into the lake.

The cat ran to Aella:
"Hey, chicken, you alive?"

"Оyoyoy...- the harpy rubbed her head, "Told you we should've slept on a tree!"

---

The harpy got off with a couple of bumps. ("Would be a concussion had you the brains" - wisecracked Marishka, although it was clear she too was glad for her companion's strong head). You spent the remainder of the night on a tree, which was pretty uncomfortable, and when you climbed down, every tendon in your body ached. But at least you weren't bothered by anyone.

After a quick breakfast of dried meat, you continued your journey. The forest was as calm and goodly as yesterday, but you no longer believed this serenity. It was Light's blessing that the most dangerous beasts crawled out only at night. Speaking of which, it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask your guide about the local fauna.

"Aella, what creatures can you generally find here?"

"Whatever wants to, finds itself. Us, for example," the harpy answered carelessly. "Ancient warlocks did some claptrap here, and since then you can find all kinda stuff: sentient plants, bees bigger than me, that tentacle monster yesterday, and the scariest of all is Baba Yaga Bone Leg Iron Teeth."

"Nyahah, Yaga is a fairy tale for little kids, chickenhead. A bit late to believe in them at your age."

"So what? People scare children with the stories about the Swap Mistress too, and we are walking to her. I remember, when mommy was sending me to sleep, she would sometimes say: 'close your eyes, or the swamp witch will come and eat you whole.' That got me really scared then," Aella shuddered and giggled.

"Interesting. So we are on our way to visit a boogeyman from children's fairytales?" you raised an eyebrow in Archia's manner.

"Well, not exactly," the cat made a wry face, apparently recognizing the origins of the expression. "For the people of the Great Marsh, the Swap Mistress is like a goddess; they call her Mother and think all the original peoples of Avalon are her children, including us, just unruly and forgotten their Mother. Ramblings of stoned lizards, in short. But she must be a neat wizard, certainly better than some bitchears."

Your conversation was interrupted by a child's cry. Without a moment's hesitation, you dashed in the direction of its source. As you broke through a deadfall, you saw an eerie sight: a swarm of fairies was attacking a little girl, tearing her dress, throwing stones at her.

Enraged, forgetting to utter a battle cry, you rushed at the little beasts with the axe. It didn't look like you got anyone, but the fairies scattered, squealing. The harpy landed next to you.

"Hey, commander, are you with us?" Aella asked sympathetically and, it seemed like, a bit frightened.

Bloody veil slowly fell off of your eyes. Oh, that must've been quite a sight.

"Yes, Light is with me. I thought you said they're peaceful."

"Well those were fairies and these are pixies, a completely..." the harpy started to explain, but you didn't listen.

You approached the girl and gently touched her shoulder:
"Are you okay, little one?"

"No, Alice is not okay. Alice is tired, lost and wants to see mommy," the girl said, sniffing and wiping off tears with the tip of her tail.

What the demon?!

"How cute!" Aella admired and began to wipe the girl's tear-stained face with her wing.

Yeah, cute, pretty, blue-eyed. And with horns, leathery wings, and a tail, although tied around it were small ribbons. You wouldn't be a warrior of the Order could you not recognize the sure signs of a succubus!

"A demon," Marishka confirmed you fears as she walked over. "The Veil between planes is thin in the Enchanted Forest. It's usually fairies who manage to get through, but sometimes its filth like this."

"Hey, Alice, how did you get here?" the harpy asked the little demon.

"Alice doesn't know. Alice was playing near the house, and then she was here. And then these little ones pounced at Alice." Sniff. "And Alice didn't do anything to them..." Sniff. Once again, tears once started to flow from the blue eyes.
"What are we going to do with her now?" you thought aloud.

"Nothing, partner. Let's leave it here. As if we don't have enough problems to also mess with beings from the Other Side," the cat spoke harshly.

"Hey, you can't leave the little thing in the middle of the forest. Let's take her with us, right?" the harpy suggested, stroking the girl's horns with a clawed paw.

"Did you lose your last brains yesterday, chicken? This is a demon! A monster that feeds on the souls of others!"

"First of all, this is a cub. And I don't really believe that thing about souls. How can anyone be full with a silly thing like that?"

Okay, looks like you had to be the one to decide. You could leave the little succubus here, perhaps she would fall back into her own realm. You could take her with you and look for someone who would be able to send Alice home. And then there was the third option another option. In the Order, you were taught the ritual meant to exorcize demons – apparently, it was supposed to return them to their plane. Perhaps it made sense to try?

1. Leave the demon where you found it.
2. Take Alice with you for now.
3. Use Exorcism on the little succubus and send her to the demon plane.
4. The best thing a warrior of Light can do for a demon-spawn is to give it an easy death.

--Island Avalon, the Enchanted Forest, day 4.--

(+1 Light point for a paladin-like approach to demon problems)

"Alice, listen. I can try to send you back home, but it's pretty risky. Do you agree to try?" you asked the demoness.

"Hey, have you done this before, Heinrich?" Aella butted in.

"No, I haven't. I don't even really know how it works. It seems like the demons are alien to our plane and the Power of Light can push them back to restore the balance. I also heard that after an exorcism, some demons come back into our world, so it's not fatal for them. But the risk is high, which why..."

"Alice agrees. Scaly man saved Alice from the little things. Alice believes the scaly man," the girl said firmly, looking you in the eye.

'Scaly man', huh. Well, mentors in the Order forbade from telling demons your real full names anyway.

"You must know, Alice, it might be painful," you warned her.

"Alice wants to see mommy very much. Alice will endure."

Oh, what were you even supposed to do with her like this?

"Right. Step away, ladies, anything can happen. Alice, sit on the ground, or better yet, lay down. Fine, here I go."

You did a couple breathing exercise and recalled the half-forgotten text of the exorcism. Oh, you just hoped you wouldn't mess it up. Light Eternal, what did you sign up for?

"Light the Guarding, let this place be cleared. Let Raphael, the Archangel of Air, sit solemnly at sunrise. Let Uriel, the Archangel of the Earth, sit solemnly at midnight. Let Gabriel, the Archangel of Water, sit solemnly at sunset. Let Michael, the Archangel of Fire, sit solemnly at noon."

Was it just your imagination, or did the air around the little succubus start to tremble as if hot from sunlight?

"Light the Giving, it is not I who appeals for you but our Saviour himself through me. Give me the strength to drive away demons evil, and angels Fallen, and beasts unclean, and vermin poisonous. Walking the path of Light, I shall not fear them but shall strike down your wrath upon them."

Not, it wasn't. Now the air started to shine, sparks of light running through the girl's body. Alice whined, her body arched. It looked like she was in much pain. But you couldn't can't stop.

"Light the Banishing, let there be no place for spirits of evil here, not in the earth, nor water, nor air, nor fire, nor human soul. And by your will, let them descend to the Abyss from whence they came. And let perish the unholy bli..."
Alice screamed. Terrible, inhuman agony could be felt in this scream. With a flash, you felt yourself fly into the air. And then came darkness.

...

Wings flapping on your face brought you to your senses. Unsticking your eyelids with great effort, you came to see sympathetic yellow eyes.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Been worse. Aella, tell me, how is Alice?"

"Still where she was. Unhurt, just unconscious. What about you? Can get down by yourself?"

Get down? Get down from whe...

Most Holy Throne! You were sitting on the top of a very tall tree. Apparently, you were thrown here by the blast and, if not for Piri's armor, could've been impaled by the sharp twigs. In the armor, though, you only got yourself a couple bruises. It looked like you owed one to the cyclopess smith.

When, with the harpy's help, you climbed down, already awaiting you was Marishka's very annoyed glare.

"I told you we shouldn't have messed with the demon. Listen to good advice, partner, and you'll live longer."

"Alright, alright," you raised your hands in defeat. "So how is our demon, Marishka? Aella said she is unconscious."

"Unconscious!? She's just sleeping! Go see for yourself."

Alice was, indeed, unharmed. The girl lay in the middle of a decently sized crater, all the surrounding grass burned away, a couple of trees fell down, her dress also turned to ash, but there were no scratches or burns on her. The little succubus curled up on the bottom of the cavity, sleeping like a baby.

"In any case, since when is she 'our demon'?" the cat belatedly snapped at you.

"Starting with this moment, I'm afraid. We certainly can't leave her alone now, after everything we've done to her. I mean, I've done," you quickly corrected yourself.

"So we can keep her? We'll have a little one? Yay!" with a joyful squeal the harpy performed a couple aerobatic stunts.

For several minutes, Marishka was shredding the bark off of the nearest tree with her claws, cursing through clenched teeth. Then she stopped and made a deep breath:
"Mother Cat, why am I surrounded by idiots? Fine, partner, but you'll carry her yourself."

As a result, you placed Alice into your backpack and carried her the rest of the way until your next stop. Since the poor girl's dress had perished, you donated her your spare shirt, having cut wing holes it its back. You could only thank Archia's prudence for packing you a change of clothes.

The little succubus slept peacefully the whole way. Only once did it seem like she muttered 'mine' and nudged at your neck with her lips. But it turned out that the girl was simply sleep-talking.

Problems arose at the night stop. As soon as you put Alice to the ground, she started to scream and thrash about in her sleep and didn't calm down until you picked her back up. As a result, you and Aella spent the night embracing the little demoness, as the cat refused to "work as a warmer for the devil's spawn."

In the morning, you were woken up by a calm, informing voice:
"Alice wants to eat."

The girl refused to chew on dried meat, so the harpy gathered some berries for her and carried them to the camp in your helmet. Marishka, having silently watched this idyll for a while, finally lost her patience:
"How much longer are you going to nun her?"

"Until we find someone who can send her to her home plane," you shrugged. "Any Ideas on who that might be?"

"A strong enough warlock or witch. Even on Avalon, there aren't many. But as a pure coincidence, we are on our way to one of them right now. So we'll hand the beast to the Swap Mistress, and she will kick her back to her mommy. Nyah, that's actually not too bad of legend for getting in. At least this wingy-horned prick will be of some use," the cat bared her teeth in a grin.

"Did you hear, little one? Everything's going to be alright. Our drop-out wizard couldn't do it, but we are traveling to a mighty-strong witch, and she'll definitely send you home to Kansas!" Aella translated for the little demoness.

Alice nodded, continuing to stuff herself with berries.

"By the way, you won't believe what I saw when I was flying for the berries!" the harpy slapped her forehead. "There's an anthill there, a real huge one, like a whole mountain, and skeletons kicking ants all around, can you imagine?"

"Skeletons? Here? Why didn't you say sooner, you empty-headed idiot?!" Marishka whirled up. "Show the place, now."

"Okay, I'll just eat..."

"Now!" the cat viciously bared her teeth.

You had never seen your partner like this. Neither had the harpy, apparently, as she flew to show Marishka the way without a squabble. Realizing this was something important, you followed. Glancing back, you discover that Alice tagged right after you. And like that, your whole group reached the edge of a clearing, where you witnessed an awful sight.

Next to a giant pyramid of logs lay hundreds of corpses of strange creatures – human above the waist and ant-like below. Several dozen of living half-ants stood surrounded by a couple dozen of skeletons armed with swords and bows. A bit to the side stood a pale young woman in a black cloak, apparently lecturing the ants.

"So the forces of the princes found their way here too," Marishka whispered under her breath.

"Oh, I know her!" the harpy pointed her finger at the pale woman.

"Quiet, idiot," the cat hushed at her.

"But I really know her," Aella pouted. "That's the she-vamp who came to our city and tried to convince the Elders to submit the Tower Witch. Oh, the places they told her to go."

"These guys apparently wanted to do the same. Except that they didn't have a dragon." It looked like this scene was really touching your partner to the quick.

"We have to help them," you said determinedly.

"Who? The undead or the ants? Hey, Anry, wake up, this is not our war. Let's get around them and be on our way." Weird, you were sure Marishka would support you.

But you are the leader of this partyr and you shall make a decision. What should you do?

1. Get around them.
2. Help the ants.
~~3. Help the undead.~~
If you decide to attack, write down the attack strategy.

Anry - a paladin with a spear, an axe, a shield, and a slingshot
Marishka - a cat-thief with a dagger
Aella - a harpy with claws
Alice - a demon not a combat unit
Allied forces: demoralized, exact numbers could not be determined.

High vampire - 1 unit
Skeleton warriors - 12 units
Skeleton archers - 11 units

( 5 Order points)

"My companions, my faithful sisters in arms," you began in a voice low but soulful. "As you know, the true purpose of our mission is to stop the expansionist was led by the Witch of the Tower. And when we see her hirelings terrorizing peaceful workers of the forest, how can we remain aloof? Shall we, those meant to battle the bloody regime, really crawl away cowardly from a handful of walking dead? Who do they think we are!?"

"Heinrich, you are so co~ol," the harpy enthusiastically yelped.

Marishka gave you a long and intense stare, then helplessly downed her ears.

"Fine, Anry. You're the boss. So, what's the plan?"

Hm, what is your plan, actually?

"First thing first, I will go down there and engage in negotiation with that lady. Perhaps I'll be able to convince her to take a peaceful leave."

"Partner, did you get concussed yesterday? You may be tree-struck, sure, but the vampire isn't. Why the heck would she just up and leave?"

"Meanwhile, Marishka will sneak up to the pale lady and, if the negotiations fail, attack," you continued, ignoring the cat's jokes. "Aim for the heart, I learned from the books that there lies the vampires' most vulnerable spot. I shall do the same, and together we should be able to handle her. Aella, distracting the skeletons, the archers primarily, is on you. Do you know how to use a slingshot?"

"Nope. Gimme the balls for it, I'll rain them on the skull-heads with no belts or anything," the harpy cockily declared.

"Good then. Here, take this explosive potion too. But remember, this is our last trump card, use it only in the worst-case scenario," you warned, giving Aella the ammunition.

"What should Alice do?" the little demon suddenly asked.

"You'll be our reserve, little one. For now, sit in ambush and do not leave until we give you a signal," you gave the demoness a task, your voice theatrically grand.

"What will the signal be?"

"Let me think. 'Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo'! Got it?"

"Alice got it. Alice will sit and wait for the signal," the girl nodded with a serious look on her face.

"Good girl. So, now I'm going to bless your weapons against the undead..."

After preparing the weapons for combat, giving final instructions, and praying to Light for the souls of your enemies, you went to negotiate. The vampire continued to harangue the ants in a language unknown to you. You didn't understand the meaning of the words, but the very timbre of her voice was soporific, and, judging by the glassy eyes of the half-ants, not only to you. You decided that it was high time to intervene.

"What's going on here?" you sternly asked, imitating a certain guard, a friend of yours. He could usually disperse a small band of misfits with that question alone. It didn't really work on the vampire though. She interrupted her speech and fixed you with a glare one usually gives dirt on one's shoes.

"I am Wilhelmina, Duchess Bathory. I am suppressing the rebels who revolted against Princess Morgause, the legitimate and only ruler of Avalon. Who are you, and by what right dare you ask me such a question?"

A grande madame, huh? It would be nice to ask her a few questions about the doings of the Witch of the Tower. However, to do that you'd have to capture her first. Hardly feasible, you had to admit.

"I am Heinrich Osborn Vaylor Von Baskerville, a knight of the Order of Light," you answered in the same tone as the vampire. "I can not judge how legitimate your mistress is, but she is certainly not the only ruler on Avalon. Not to mention the Chapter the Order does not recognize the authority of Morgause, traitor of faith, over any lands and takes Avalon under its protection. So I recommend you to cease the violence in the lands under the Order's protection, lay down your arms, and withdraw your troops. Otherwise, you shall know our discontent."

On the one hand, it was a pure bluff; on the other, it was as pure a truth. With the relevant decree, the Order preliminarily declared Avalon as its territory, on which Law and Light were to be induced. It's just that there was no one here to represent the Order's interests but yourself.

"You must have stuffed yourself with henbane, Order's dog," the cold fury in the voice of Duchess Bathory was scorching. "Good then, I'll teach you some manners."

With these words, the vampiress rushed at you. Okay, time for plan B.

Casting Lion's Rush, you jumped at the enemy with your spear atilt. The lightning-fast attack that resulted from your mutual acceleration was impossible to dodge, but Wilhelmina almost managed to. She bent in a way unthinkable for a human and your spear only scratched her back. At the same time, the vampire's claws hit you in the breastplate with tremendous force. She didn't manage to break through the dragon scales, but the force of the impact threw you right at the feet of the skeleton warriors. That would have been the end of you, but Aella finally joined the fight.

Dashing over the battlefield like a mad valkyrie, she started throwing lead balls at the skeletons with impressive accuracy. Her attack gave you an opportunity to jump up and meet the dead soldiers with the axe and shield in hands. According to your plan, The ants were supposed to join the fight right about now, but they were apparently intoxicated by the vampire's speech and just stood there dumbly staring into the distance while two steps away from them you fought a dozen skeleton swordsmen. For now, luck and combat skills were on your side, but if the fanged duchess were to join the fight, this whole situation could very well end badly for you.

Suddenly, the skeletons froze in their places. You looked around, trying to understand what happened, and saw Wilhelmina. And behind her, Marishka, with a knife at the vampire's chest. Huff, it worked.
"Nice work, partner," you gave the cat a nod.

"Well, at least one of us should do a good job, right?" the cat responded with a mocking grin.

"You have won, but your victory is dishonorable," the duchess Bathory flashed her eyes coldly.

"Well, forgive me, your grace," you bent in a clownish bow. "But didn't the ancient wise men say 'war is a path of deception'? And it was also said 'if you can't win honorably, just win'."

"Interesting words from a knight of the Order. What do you want of me, dog?"

"This is not a word you should try to insult me with, Duchess. A dog is a symbol of fidelity, it has been the flaunting emblem of the Baskervilles for hundreds of years. What I want from you has not changed: leave these poor creatures alone, send your dead soldiers back, and no longer disturb the borders of the Enchanted Forest."

The vampiress grinned:
"Isn't that a bit too much, dog-knight? But fine. I, Wilhelmina, Blood Master from house Bathory, swear with my blood and blood of all of my kin that I won't disturb the peace of the Ant People."

Great, now you only had to figure out if this vow even meant anything for the she-vamp or it was just a meaningless set of words.

"Hey partner, the vow's true. If a bloodsucker breaks one like that, she and all she had time to turn instantly conk," Marishka came to your aid.

"I gave a vow. Are you going to let me go now?" Wilhelmina gave you an expectant glare.

"We are, I swear by Light. But first, answer a few questions."

This wasn't turning out to be exactly fair, but you couldn't pass up such an opportunity. You had to squeeze as much information out of this 'Blood Master' as possible.

"So that's how it is." The vampire's black cloak suddenly transformed into a pack of bats. With a screech, Marishka rolled to the ground as the duchess herself soared five human heights up.

"I gave a vow and won't touch these pathetic insects. As for you, dog-knight, one day we shall have a talk about manners, the price of victory, and else," with these words, Wilhelmina majestically turned around and slowly floated off to the west. The remaining skeleton warriors followed her in an uneven formation.

Marishka sat on the ground, her ears guiltily drooped:
"I'm sorry, Anry, it was so unexpected, I got confused and didn't manage to get her."

"Don't worry, partner, it's not your fault. Nobody knew what dirty tricks to expect from 'her grace'. Besides, the victory is ours."

Even though you had a feeling that this victory had been thrown to you like a gnawed bone. Why didn't the vampire finish you off immediately, you wondered. After all, her vow didn't mention anything about your team. Did she get scared after miraculously avoiding blessed steel in her heart two times in a row and decided not to risk a third?

"Hey, let me catch up to her. Look how slowly she flies," the harpy offered.

"Don't even think about it!" the two of you stopped Aella in a chorus.

At that moment, a girl from the ant people approached you:
"Our queen wishes to see the heroes who have saved her domain from the undead horde."

1. Accept the invitation, perhaps they'll reward you.
2. Reject the invitation, you've already lost a lot of time.

You cast an inquiring glance at your companions.

"Let's go, let's go, I've never seen real a real queen," Aella spun around on one leg.

"Maybe they've got something to eat," Marishka shrugged.

"We will be honored to meet her majesty," you told the antling. "I just need to call another companion of ours. Alice!"

No answer.

"Alice, come out, it's alright now."

No answer.

Already starting to worry, you remembered your agreement with the girl.

"Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!" you shouted, feeling like a complete clown. Couldn't you think of a less idiotic signal?!

Alice jumped out of the bushes like a jack out of the box, made a double somersault, demonstrating everyone present the lack of underwear under her shirt, and gracefully landed onto the grass.

What the demon? Erm, considering the circumstances, you had to come up with a different swear.

"Cool! Rehearsing for a performance, are you, Alice? We've got acrobats in Labyrintown, but you are much better!" the harpy admired.

"Thanks. Mum always said: 'the most important thing for a demon is a spectacular appearance'," succubus said, her eyes modestly cast down.

"Hey lads, how about we go already? Or their majesty will get angry and we won't get freebie food," Marishka hurried everyone up.

Following the ant-girl, you walked past the battlefield from which ants were dragging their fallen comrades, through the long corridors of the anthill that went deep into the ground, and finally into a giant hall. In the middle of the hall, on a hill of pillows, grandly lay an ant-maiden several times larger than the ones you had seen before, dozens of maids bustling around her. The queen, who she certainly was, graciously waved her hand at you.

"I welcome you, brave warriors who came to aid us in a moment so difficult for the kingdom. From today onwards, you are always welcome here. This is, however, not enough to thank you dully. How can I reward you for your unprecedented feat?"

The harpy responded by waving her wing, the cat didn't even stir, the little demoness took her shirt by the sides and made a curtsey. You bowed and started a retaliatory speech:
"Thank you, your majesty, but we do not fight for rewards. Neither can we embrace your hospitality, for duty demands us to continue our journey. However, you can help us by sending this girl back home to the demon world."

The queen fell in thought, and Marishka used this opportunity to furiously whisper into your ear:
"Partner, are you stupid? Take what you're given!"

You didn't have time to answer, as the queen finished thinking and shook her head:
"Alas, it is not in my power to open doors to other planes. But perhaps you will at least stay for a feast in your honor? The roads of our kingdom stretch to all ends of the Enchanted Forest, and tomorrow morning you will be taken to the destination of your journey. I also assure you that it will be much faster and safer than if you walked the surface."

"Your majesty, there is no greater help you could give us," you sincerely thanked the ant monarch.

You hardly remember the feast. The fruit wine that the two ant-girls, nestled at your sides, generously poured into your chalice each time it emptied is probably to blame. You remember Alice a bit bewildered but charmingly cute in her newly-sewed dress. You remember long toasts in your honor, and you responding something to them. You remember Marishka sourly chewing on a piece of meat and then disappearing somewhere. You remember Aella demanding an excursion through the anthill. The only thing you don't remember is how you ended up on a luxurious bed in a room with a lovely ant-girl vacillating at the door.

"What do you want, dear girl?" you asked the modest maiden, trying to disperse the fog in your head.

Growing even more embarrassed, the girl whispered:
"Sir hero, her majesty sent me to help you relax before the future feats. So... so could you please undress?

1. Accept the ant-girl's offer
2. Refuse and say you need to visit one of your companions:
2.1 Alice, you shouldn't leave the little girl alone
2.2 Marishka, she behaved somewhat strangely tonight
2.3 Aella, you're afraid she could make a mess

The poor thing was sent to you like a sacrificial lamb. What savagery!

"I'm sorry, lovely girl, but I don't require relaxation."

"B-but the queen..." the girl seemed to be completely abashed.

"The queen won't scold you if you render me a different kind of service. Please take me to my companion, the cat."

The ant-girl gave you a nod of relief.

Frankly, you were worried that Marishka, indignant about your modesty, would try to rob your hosts. But according to the ant-girl, after the feast, the catgirl went to her room and never came out.

"How do you know? Perhaps she did leave and you didn't notice?" you asked your guide.

She responded with a puzzled look:
"Her smell is still there. If lady heroine went somewhere, we'd smell it right away."

Oh yeah, you did read in a tractate that ants have an unbelievably acute sense of smell and that they even communicate with odors.

Finally, you arrived. Taking a guide was the right decision – without her, you would've certainly gotten lost in the labyrinth of dark, pretty low corridors. You approached the curtain that served as the door to Marishka's room. You thought you could hear the sounds of a conversation, but when you entered the room, the cat was sitting alone, a jug of wine by her side.

"Talking to yourself, partner? That's a bad sign."

"What? No, I mean, yes," the cat's tail desperately rushed about. "Doesn't matter. Anry, right now I want to have a talk with you."

"Yes, what about?"

"Nyah, where should I start?" the cat-girl's ears moved. "Remember how when we started this journey our goal was to get rid of these collars? And today you said you're declaring a war against the princess. Did you really decide to get into this showdown on the side of the bitch-priestess?"

Huh, now this question was a bit unexpected.

"You see, Marishka, I'm here to fight against someone, not for someone. I have declared a war against Morgause and her foul ilk long ago, and I'm simply using Lady DePort as a means to an end."

"Is that so. Using her, using me. All for the victory of Light, is it?"

"Well, not exactly..."

The cat interrupted your excuse with a gesture:
"Don't worry, Anry. You're using me, I'm using you, that's what it means to be partners, right? Let's drink instead."

Some time later, you left the cat's room with mixed feelings. The ant-girl was still waiting for you at the entrance.

"Do you need more guidance, sir hero?"

"Yes, I guess. There's a little girl who can't sleep alone."

When you entered Alice's room, the girl jumped to and hugged you, saying:
"You've finally come to me!"

What's with her? The little demoness was usually much more demure. Wait. 'You', 'me'? Does Alice use pronouns?!

You moved the girl away and gave her a careful look. A second passed, two, and the innocent expression on succubus's face gave place to a slightly mad smile.

"Tsk, figured it out, did you. Well, this is quite an appetizing guy little sister found for herself. Not only handsome, but smart, too."

"Who are you and where is Alice?"

"Don't worry, Alice is sleeping. And I am Lacy*. Hah, this is our first meeting, if you think about it. Not counting that time when you tried to banish us. I did manage to intervene at just the right moment, didn't I."
*T/L note: (Anagram of 'Alice' in the original. I didn't think of 'Lacei' right away and decided not to change it later. For clarification: Элис -> Лэси)

What? Two souls in one body? You thought only witches and those possed could be two-souled.

"So it was you who disturbed the exorcism. Why? I wanted to send Alice... both of you home."

"Home? You must be kidding!" the demon quietly laughed. "When, after all the struggles, all the attempts to get out of there, I finally succeed?"

"So you ran from home. Why?"

"Because my home is in Hell, dumb human!" a crimson flame sparkled menacingly from under Lacy's eyelids. "And there, as you must know, is darkness, gnashing of teeth, and terrible boredom. It's so much more exciting here: so many colors, new odors, experiences. And guys, of course."

With these words, the demon pressed herself to you again, as if accidentally, and coiled her tail around your leg. Trying to escape her embrace, you stumbled on the tail and fell into the armchair behind you.

"Wait, doesn't Alice's opinion concern you at all? She wants to return to her mother," you tried to cease the succubus' attack.

Now Lacy laughed aloud.

"Silly Alice doesn't know what she really wants. But don't worry, she likes it here too. And she likes you, too. And that's why..." the demoness brusquely sat herself onto your knees and slid her cold fingers down your neck. "I can help you, make you far stronger, give you the power to crush your enemies."

Lacy leaned to you, whispering her next words into your ear:
"Just make a contract with me."

1. Agree
2. Decline

A contract with a demon? Highly condemned by the Order and the Church. On the other hand, there have been saints who made imps serve them, build churches and bridges, even carry them on their backs. At the very least, you had to learn what she meant.

"Are you asking me, a paladin of Light, to sell my soul to you?!" you resented.

"Why would I need your soul, silly?" Lacy laughed. "We'll just establish an energy link. You will be my anchor in this world and share a bit of your life force with me. In return, I'll teach you highly useful abilities and give access to the Flames of Hell. You've got such a potential and you're wasting it on rubbish, literally begging Light for a crumb of power every time. Don't you deserve better? Be with me, and great power will flow in your veins. I can feel that you will become a mighty knight warlock, and one day, your sword will pierce the Heavens!"

"Entertaining. Is that all?"

The demoness giggled, ran her tongue over your neck and playfully bit your earlobe:
"Did you want something else? Accept, and you'll gain an aid most useful. In all respects."

"Very tempting, but no," you said firmly.

Lacy moved back in surprise:
"Why not?"

"Because, dear Lacy, warriors of Light don't sign contracts with demons." You gave the succubus a light fillip on the nose. "You should have known such a proverbial thing."

"Tsk. A day will come when you'll beg on your knees to make a contract with me!" the demon ominously foretold.

The red light faded from the girl's gaze, giving place to the usual azure. For a few seconds, the blue eyes blinked sleepily:
"Oh, the scaly man! What's Alice doing on the knees..." the girl fell silent for a moment and then cautiously asked. "Sister Lacy was misbehaving, right? There sister goes again, does naughty things and Alice gets into trouble."

"Don't worry, little one, Lacy wasn't very naughty," you calmed the girl. "And you should go to sleep. It's late, and you're still awake and not in bed. That's not very good. Tomorrow we'll have to continue our journey, so you should have a good rest."

"Okay." Alice obediently undressed, went to the bed, and immediately started to snuffle.

You tucked the girl's blanket in, sat into the armchair, and took a thought. It looked like got a fifth member appeared in your party, and a pretty troublesome one. You were yet to ask Alice anything about her sister. You had no time to think of appropriate questions and weren't sure if the conversation was needed at all. You also weren't sure whether you needed to tell your other companions about Lacy. You remembered your strange conversation with Marishka. Could you even trust them?
With these disturbing thoughts, you fell asleep right in the armchair.

1a. is needed (come up with the questions)
1b. is not needed

2a. Tell both of them
2b. Tell one of the girls (who?)
2c. Tell neither of them

--Island Avalon, capital of the Ant Kingdom, the morning of the sixth day.--

You were woken up by clawed paws on your eyes and a hollow voice, asking:
"Guess whooo?"

"Good morning, Aella."

"Wow, how did you know?" the harpy asked in her normal voice as she let you go.

"Aella, you are the only person witch palms as elegant as these for many miles around." «And jokes as stupid,» you added mentally.

"Really? And what are you doing here? Guarding the peace of our little princess? No, 'princess' isn't a good word, that Witch already took it. Maybe duchess? Nope, we had that too. Countess, Marquise? Hey Heinrich, which one of them is cooler?"

"A marquise would be higher in the hierarchy, if that's what you mean."

"Marquise then. Let's wake our little marquise up and get going, everyone's waiting for us already."

With some caution, you woke the demoness. But your worries were in vain: Lacy didn't reveal herself in any way. Following the harpy, who somehow managed to navigate this maze without the help of the ants, you arrived at a place that reminded you of dwarven mines. A straight and fairly wide corridor that stretched in both directions into the boundless darkness, rails on the floor and trolleys on the rails. Slightly green in the face from the hangover, Marishka was already standing next to one of the trolleys together with a few ants. One of them addressed you:
"Oh, sir hero! What an honor. I'm the Master of Ways and today you're my cargo of highest importance. Your luggage has already been put in, so please take a seat and enjoy the ride. Ehm, just one question, where should I deliver you?"

"As close to the Great Marsh as possible."

"To the Northern outpost of the Enchanted Forest then. I'm very sorry that Centauria is outside the Kingdom's zone of interests, but we humbly hope that we'll shorten your way and you will see the steppe this evening."

"From here to Centauria in a day? Cool. Do these things have a motor inside or use magic?" Aella poked the trolley with a finger.

"You shouldn't worry, we don't use such dangerous things," the Master of Ways calmed her.

How did they move then? The answer turned out to be primitively simple. When your group settled on the benches inside the vehicle, the ants put on the straps attached to the front wall of the trolley and started to run, and run very fast, so before long your trailer acquired a decent speed.

En route, you kept silent. You decided not to tell your comrades about Lacy for now. At least until you would with Alice about her sister in private. Marishka, her hangover worsened by the motion sickness, spent most of the way curled on the bench and sometimes bending over the side of the trolley. Only Aella was as cheerful as always and entertained the little succubus with various stories.

You arrived at the destination right on schedule. The North outpost turned out to be, of course, another underground labyrinth. You decided it would be safer to spend the night in the subterrene fortress and hit the trail in the morning. The restless harpy said that she needed to look around and plan your further route, and so she left for the surface. You tagged along, taking Alice with you. The diseased cat just followed your back with a grim glare and curled up on her couch.
When you came out into the fresh air, the harpy cunningly looked at you and said:
"Well, lovebirds, should I leave you alone?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you said with a deadpan face.

"Ha, you have every Idea. Just be gentler, she's still little!" and Aella flew away, laughing.

Ehm, it seemed like the harpy misunderstood something. No matter, the important part was that you could finally query the little succubus on the topics of your interest. Walking through a copse alongside the silent girl, you tried to figure out what questions to start with. Finally, you decided to just ask straight:
"Alice, how did you and Lacy end up in one body?"

The demoness let out a helpless sigh. Looks like she was waiting for this question. She began:
"Well, it's a long story. Mother had twins: sister Lacy and Alice. But mother is an important person, a marquise and the counselor of the Great Count Astaroth. And by the laws of Hell, mother can only have one heir so there's no strife for power in the family. That's why mother was ordered to sacrifice one of the girls to the True Flame. And the lot fell on Alice. But mother loved Alice and so put Alice's soul into Lacy's body. Lacy became the heir and Alice hid in the other sister and sometimes came out to play. But then mommy said that Lacy committed a fault and now Alice is the heir. Alice started to study all kinds of useful things and Lacy was sealed. But Lacy is strong and sometimes she gets out from under the seal. Sometimes Alice feels sorry for Lacy and lets sister out to play. But sometimes Lacy does it without Alice's permission. Lacy's such a hooligan, Alice often gets in trouble because of sister. Like this time, Alice ended up here because of Lacy."

Wow, Aella correctly guessed the girl's title, she really was a little marquise.

"And what were you taught? Every demon has some special abilities, what can you do?"

The little demoness blushed.

"Lacy is stronger, can burn and explode anything. Alice thinks it's a more fitting Talent for a demon. Alice can only summon little friends," the girl folded her hands like a boat, then opened them, a small fiery reptile appearing between the palms.

Salamander, a spirit of fire, you identified. Hm, a demon that summons other demons. Not a useless skill at all.

"You're too hard on yourself, Alice, you have a wonderful Talent," you gave the demoness a modest praise. And then scratched her horns. You couldn't help yourself. Alice happily closed her eyes and a dozen of salamanders flew around her in a quaint firework. "And what about a demonic contract? Could you make one? With me, for example."

The salamanders' dance abruptly stopped. Apparently, the little demon didn't like your question.

"Alice doesn't know. If Alice makes a contract, Alice won't be able to leave this plane so long the contractor is alive. And the contractors' lifespans can be very different. A contract may drain someone in a single winter and others don't age for hundreds of years. It depends on the person and the demon. And Alice never made contracts before. Alice wants to go home."

Interesting. You also felt the need to clarify if what Lacy told you about energy links and other matters was true, ascertain a few things about the magic of Hell, and... Your thoughts were stopped in their tracks by a strong sense of danger. As if someone's hostile eyes stared at your back. As if casually, you took a better grip on the spear and prepared yourself.

The enemy didn't make you wait. With a whistle, a bolas flew out of the forest's dusk, which you dodged and dashed towards the attacker with the Lion's Rush. Your spear met the opponent's sword. Now you could see who you were dealing with – a rather tall young woman whose body was densely covered in tattoos. She wasn't a bad fighter but nowhere near a warrior of the Order. You easily drove her back, raining blows upon her.

"Perhaps you'd like to surrender, lady? I'm ready to forgive this attack, as it was clearly caused by some kind of misunderstanding. I'm sure we'll be able to figure everything out," you exhorted the young woman, continuing to write a daedal pattern with your spear.

But the enemy only bared her teeth and continued to retreat. Suddenly, your foot started to drop into a pit veiled by branches, but you managed to jump back and even maintain your balance. Ha, did she really think a paladin could be caught into such a primitive trap? Then a net fell on you from above.

You tried to get out from under it, but your opponent seized the opportunity. Quickly approaching, she hit the back of your head with the grip of her weapon. Darkness followed.

You came to your senses tied up, on the ground, surrounded by your opponent and two other tattooed girls. One of them asked Alice:
"Tell me, little sister, is that your male?"

But it looked like Alice fell into a stupor and couldn't respond.

"What's with you, sister Kima? How could this little thing possibly bend such a stalwart? He even made me break a sweat," your opponent grinned.

"Which speaks of your weakness, Marpa, not his strength," the one who seemed to be the group's leader scolded her harshly. She then delivered a light kick to your side. "Came to. Hey, male, who do you belong to?"

1. Say you don't belong to anyone
2. Say you belong to Alice
Write-in: Say you belong to Archie DePort

MMD · Dec 8, 2018

Chapter 3 - The paladin and his team

One of the first lines of the Codex says: 'A paladin of the Order of Light belongs only to Light'. But at the moment you were also in lady DePort's service. And for a knight, there is nothing shameful in serving a beautiful maiden, is there? In this situation, It would also be more rational to refer to a powerful patron in.

"Archia DePort, a priestess of the Spider Queen and one of the Elders of Labyrintown, is my mistress."

"Is that so? And where is this worthy woman now?" the elder warrior mistrustfully grinned.

"In Labyrintown. But I'm here on her orders."

"Hm, and who can confirm that?" the warrior turned to Alice. "Little sister, do you know this Archia?"

The succubus only shook her head slightly. Of course, Alice didn't know anything about the organizer of this expedition. But the ones who did were near. You had to call for help quickly, then the balance of power would be in your favour, especially if the ants were to join the fray.

"Wait, two of my other companions are camped not far from here, they can confirm my words."

"It seems to me, older sister Ifito, like this male is trying to fool us. We didn't see anyone else nearby besides these two," Marpa, your recent opponent, addressed the elder.

Alright, now this really started to smell like trouble.

"Alice, tell them Aella and Marishka are also with us," you appealed to the demoness.

"Is that true?" Ifito asked the girl.

The red eyes glittered gloatingly.

"No. This man wants to lure you into a trap. Be careful with him, one-horned sisters, he's a very dangerous guy."

«Lacy, you little two-faced shit! As soon as I catch you I'll twist your ears off and kick you back to your mommy.» No wonder that the succubus was in such a prostration, it looks like a serious struggle over the control of the body occurred inside of her. And Alice lost.

"I see. A strong and crafty male. A fugitive, perhaps, judging by the collar. A valuable trophy. We'll deliver him to the village and offer as a gift to the queen," Ifito concluded.

"Wait, why the queen? He's my catch!" Marpa protested.

"You couldn't handle him without the help of others. The fight doesn't count," the older sister cut short.

"Lady, if the fight wasn't fair, perhaps we have a rematch? Give me one more chance, I'd like to be taken by the worthiest," you tried your luck.

As a response, you received a kick to the ribs.

"Males weren't allowed to talk."

You were then tied to a pole and carried like a boar's carcass. Lacy tagged along behind the 'one-horned sisters'. Actually, why was she calling them 'one-horned'? Only now did you notice that the swarthy warriors were not exactly humans. The objects on their heads you mistook for exotic headpieces turned out to be horns. But you apparently got so used to the strange creatures of this island, you stopped paying attention to such small matters.

It had already gotten dark when you arrived at a village surrounded by a palisade. You didn't have time to really see anything as the amazons threw you, still tied, into a pit in the ground and departed somewhere. They didn't even leave a guard. Now that was a mistake.

They didn't take your amulet, so you made a small light and looked around. The pit was pretty deep, its walls smooth, made of clay, and therefore slippery. Well, a primitive but effective jail. However, if only you could untie yourself, your chances of getting out would have increased significantly. A pity they didn't leave behind anything sharp. You called upon the power of Light and tried to tear the ropes, but nope, they turned out to be too strong.

"I told you these pathetic crumbs won't help," a derisive voice sounded from above.

"Lacy, why the demon did you do that?" you growled.

"Revenge of a rejected woman. Did you think I was going to just swallow your insulting refusal? You didn't even take me seriously!" the succubus resented.

"You rejoice in vain, depraved girl. Alice will soon regain control over the body and help me get out. And then I'll arrange a personal session of flogging therapy for you. Demons heal quickly, so Alice herself won't be hurt."

"This is my body, by the way," Lacy grumbled. "And Alice won't be coming back for the next day or so, I gave sister a good thrashing. And who knows what these half-breeds do with their prey. Sacrifice them? Rape? Eat? Maybe all of that one after the other? So I propose we count us even and start things over."

"Oh, are you really offering to help with the mess you got me into?" you asked sarcastically.

"Hey, you got into it yourself when you let these one-horns catch you and then wanted to set them up against the poor insects. Very knight-like, I should say."

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"I would, but the duel with sister exhausted me. I can't even fire a match right now," Lacy said in an upset voice.

"Just untie me!"

"And then what? There's a heap of people here, everyone can see in the dark, centries on the palisade. How much will you be able to do without a weapon? How about you make a contract with me? Then you'll easily free yourself, nourish my powers, and together we'll bring this village of freaks to its knees. What do you say, master?"

There's always a catch, huh?

1. Fine, Lacy, be it your way.
2. Get away from me, satan.

--Island Avalon, northern edge of the Enchanted Forest, an amazon village, 7th night.--

The demoness' arrogance left you literally at a loss for words. Fortunately, the Kind book came to the rescue:
"Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, his mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud, under his tongue is mischief and vanity. So get away from me, Satan," you weightily ended with the Saviour's words with an addition of your own. "Why don't you take a running jump into the forest with your contact in tow, girl."
"Oh you... Keep sitting here then. I hope these one-horns have plenty of fun with you." Lacy stuck out her tongue at you and ran away.

Alright, you got rid of the annoying darkspawn, now was the time to think of how to get out. You had to assess the situation soberly: you had no weapon, no armor, couldn't tear the rope, there was nothing to cut it with, no stones or roots in the pit, you couldn't can't get out of still tied up. These were the cons. But there's also a pro: they left the amulet with you. You could make a light. Or not make a light. Awesome. You could also give a distress signal. Although you doubted anyone on this island knew brother Morse's signal system, but at least Aella could notice the flashes from the sky. You very much wanted to believe that your companions didn't abandon you and were searching.

In the morning, two warriors familiar you, Kima and Marpa, pulled you to the surface and dragged to the largest of the houses. It looked to be the queen's residence. Inside the house gathered a small crowd of one-horned women of different ages, all of them tattooed and armed. Those familiar to you were Ifito and Lacy, the latter hiding in the corner.

In the center of the room stood something akin to a throne covered with animal hides. This slab gorgeousness was occupied by a middle-aged woman whose skin was completely covered in tattoos and scars.

"Queen Orifia, we have captured a male, one extraordinary strong for his kind, and offer him to you as a gift so that you can decide his fate according to justice and for the benefit of the tribe," Ifito addressed the woman on the throne.

It was high time to make use of your persuasion and diplomacy skills.

"Your majesty, I'm..."

Two kicks arrived sharply and suddenly to your ribs.

You desperately gasped for air. Got it, got it, 'males weren't allowed to talk'.

"Let me examine him," Orifia uttered.

In what sense? Hey, why the clothes?!

When you ended up naked, tied up, and highly embarrassed, the queen stood up from her throne, walked around you, felt your muscles, looked into your mouth, pressed your teeth with a thumb, and made a verdict:
"Acceptable. He'll be the prize for today's games. Prepare him."

Once more, you were dragged someplace else. Your hands were untied and you were given some food, then dragged again to a pond and told to wash yourself. Your every attempt to start a conversation was met with slaps from the girls. Oh, not once in your life had you felt so powerless.

But if you couldn't act for now, at least you could look around. The first discovery you made was the fact that the vllage did have men as well. These short, plump, and quite ugly creatures did all the dirty work: they fixed the roofs, grazed the pigs, made food, and, while at it, tried to keep their eyes to the ground. When you tried to talk to the man who brought you food, he only looked at you in fear and Marpa gave you another sock on the jaw.

Local women, on the opposite, were remarkably tall, shapely, and possessed decent musculature. Thir facial features couldn't be called unattractive either. You thought you understood now why they preferred to import men instead of using their own. In addition, every female inhabitant of the village carried weapons, leaving the noble craft of war and hunt for themselves.

In the end, you were brought to the square in the center of the village and tied to a pole. quite a big number of women had already gathered there, more than you had seen during the queen's audience, and their evaluating gazes made you feel uneasy. And that's not even counting the fact that you were as nude as the first man before the Fall. Finally, Orifia herself appeared with an escort. The queen proclaimed:
"Today, the competition of the annual games in the name of the Hunter Goddess will be individual duels between the sister. The victor will receive an opportunity to tame this rare beast." A nod in your direction. "And let the strongest win!"

Marpa made a step forward:
"I was the one who hunted down this male and I lay claim to him. Who dares challenge me?"

"We do, I suppose!" a ringing voice sounded from above. Aella descended onto the square, Marishka held in her feet. Shortly before she reached the ground, the harpy unclenched the claws, and the cat dropped down, softly sprang with her legs, and immediately flowed into a fighting stance.

"Hey you, sleazy dog biscuits. That's our pal and anyone who so much as gives him a bad eye will have to deal with my dagger!"

"And my claws!" Aella added.

"And Alice's salamanders!" declared the demoness as she jumped out of the crowd. Then reeled, her eye colour shifting, and swore in a low voice. "Stop shoving yourself in front of your elders, small fry. ...Khm, in that case, I declare that this insolent jerk belongs to me and I will fight for him!"

Wow, you had never been this successful with ladies before.

Queen Orifia didn't even move an eyebrow at the performance:
"Foreigners are not prohibited from participating in the competitions. But only one of you can to enter the fight. Decide then who that will be."

1. Marishka
2. Aella
3. Alice
4. Lacy

"Keep calm guys, I'll deal with it," Marishka took the initiative. "So I gotta kick the crap out of this beanpole? Can do that."

Marpa looked over the not-so-tall, and pretty skinny, cat.

"I'll try not to smash you to bits, kitten."

"Hey you, black-ass cornstalk, the 'kitten' might just get you knives in blinkers, and for mooching my pal's stuff I'll have you end up as a fillet. That clear enough?"

Only now did you realize that the black-skinned warrior had put on your black-white-grey-speckled armor before the fight. And the fact that it was a bit small for her made you feel a bit offended.

Meanwhile, Marpa didn't waste time on insults, rushing at the sharp-tongued cat with a hollow cry. The first strike of her sword missed its target, and so did the second. The one-horned girl was swinging her weapon furiously, trying to cleave Marishka in two, but every time the cat, as if charmed, managed to dodge it by a finger or two. It looked like the thief was just mocking her enemy. So it went for about ten minutes until Marpa started to noticeably lose her breath.

"Is that all ya've got, one-horn shrew? Go on, speed up, or I'll freeze here tinkering with ya," the cat taunted the warrior.

"Die, beast!" Marpa roared wildly and threw herself into an even fiercer attack than before.

This time Marishka didn't dodge. Instead, she jumped over her opponent, ending up behind her, and put a dagger to her neck:
"Now drop that piece of iron while I'm still in good mood," Marpa ground her teeth but obeyed. "Good girl, now take off the armor, gotta respect property rights. Yeah, and the boots. And I'm also going to take this trinket, as a trophy, deal? And you know what, drop the rest of it too."

"Whaat?!!" the one-horned warrior dazedly twitched.

"Shhh, don't stir, you'll cut yourself. Take the rest of your clothes off. It's a bit unfair for Anry to be the only one shining his naked butt around."

Almost crying from the humiliation, Marta complied with the cat's demand. Well, it was a wonderful, err, sight, a real delight for the eyes – savage beauty of the curves of the tattoos on the curves of the body, literally every spot on it adorned by the ornaments. Yes, ehm, every single one. To be honest, due to your own nakedness, you seriously started to worry that the situation was going to arise to be a bit awkward.

"A great fight, outlander," the queen reservedly complimented Marishka.

"Yeah, thanks for your attention and all that. Can I take my partner now?"

"Well, if there are no other contestants wishing to test you..." Orifia drawled.

"Let me enter the fight," Ifito stepped forward. "The male himself is of no need to me, but fighting a worthy opponent and avenging my sister's honour is always a pleasure."

"Hey, hey, what the hell? I won the fight!" the cat exclaimed, outraged.

"By the laws of the duel, the one who holds the battlefield until there are no more challenges wins. This is a competition not only of strength but also endurance, prudence, and, of course, respect in the tribe," the leader explained.

Well, you were in big trouble.

Marishka wagged her tail furiously and growled through clenched teeth:
"Okay, moppy long-legs. I didn't want to, but you made me. Time for plan B."

"We have a plan B, kitten?" Aella inquired.

The cat had no time to answer as a bloodstained warrioress ran into the square:
"Enemies... centaurs... treason..." she wheezed and fell, to the ground, right at the queen's feet, an arrow stuck in her back.

"To arms, sisters!" was the only thing Orifia had time to shout before a... squadron? Herd? A troop of half-people half-horses with bows, spears, and lariats burst into the square. A deadly carousel whirled around the scattered groups of one-horned warrioresses and rained darts and arrows onto them. The queen tried to gather her fighters, but one of the centaurs impaled her on a spear. After that, the battle turned into a massacre...

"Not the best time to enjoy the show!" Marishka's voice brought you to your senses. "Plan B, fuck it sideways, run for it!"

The cat cut the ropes, and you ran. With the corner of your eye, you noticed Aella flying away, the little demoness in her claws. You snatched someone's sword from the ground and prepared to fight, but it didn't look like anyone cared about you. You got out of the village with no hindrance as it was starting to burn, passing through the wide-open gates. When the treetops finally hid the palisade from view, you allowed yourself to catch a breather.

"Here, partner, drag your junk yourself now."

You looked at Marishka in surprise and realized she had the time to grab your armor from the square. And not only it, apparently, but also animal hides, fineries, miscellaneous booty. The cat met your inquiring glance with a grin:
"A coward flees the battlefield abandoning everything, a braveруфке keeps his ownб and a hero manages to pick up after the coward. Quite a nifty tool by the way, partner, your future wife will be happy."

You turned a bit red and quickly made a waistcloth from one of the hides. Then you put the armor right onto the naked body. Not the most pleasant of sensation, but it's not like you could anything about it.

"Wait, we'll be at the meeting point soon, there are some clothes left in the backpack," Marishka reassured you. "And your helmet. Although that chicken already managed to make tea in it, so be mentally prepared for a heartbreaking sight."

"I think a smoky helm is among my lesser problems," you chuckled. "Thanks for getting me out."

"Well, we are even now, partner. But you'll have to forgive the chicken for more than one helmet yet. I so don't envy you," the cat bared her teeth in a grin.

You hadn't realized how much you missed this thievish cat and her peculiar manner of speech. Still, there were a couple of questions you had to discuss.

"Who attacked these warrior maidens? And how did you find me?"

"Chicken found you, she can brag about it herself. And the cranky hags that captured you are called amazons. Mother Cat knows why they're like that, maybe their grandmas screwed some demons, maybe they got cursed by trolls, maybe magical pollution of the ecology is to blame. The ones who attacked them were the centaur slavers. Some of their tribes serve the Princess now, they bring slaves to Silenthall and exchange them for weapons, wine and food that tastes than horse meat."

"Wait, what and where is Silenthall, exactly? And why would the centaurs need the amazons? Someone like them, unable and unwilling to either milk a cow or plow a field, wouldn't make a particularly good slave."

The cat goggled at you like at an idiot:
"Partner, what the hell? You don't get slave girls with exotic looks for cowsheds, you get them for brothels or houses of rich connoisseurs. And the fields near Silenthall are plowed by zombies, not slaves. It's the Princess' capital and the largest human city on the island."

«Aha, so the famous Tower of the Witch resides in Silenthall. Zombies plowing the fields, you say? What horror, how do the local people tolerate something like that?»

"Why did those centaurs arrive at such an appropriate time, I wonder."

"I wouldn't know," the cat shrugged. "We got lucky. So tell me, how did you get captured by the amazons?"

Oh, that's one sore subject.

1. Tell Marishka everything about Alice and Lacy. (Optionally: ask her not to tell Aella)
2. Tell the story of the capture without mentioning Lacy.
3. Say you'll tell everything when you get to Aella and Alice.
4. Custom choice.

You decided to tell Marishka everything: how you discovered the demoness' second personality, how she caused you to be captured, how she insistently tried to make you form a contract with her, tempting you with new power.
The cat listened to it all out silently and then spat:
"Pshaw, bitch brew. I told you demons only ever bring trouble. What are we gonna do with her now, huh, partner?"

You shrugged:
"Send her home at the first available opportunity as we intended to. But first, I'll flog a lesson into the little hellwitch."

"You think it'll help?" Marishka smiled. "Although I'm all for that, I'll even hold her while you force some brains into the wretch through her back gates. Let's move faster, they're alone there with chicken, I worry something may happen."

You worried in vain. The harpy and the demon were peacefully sitting on a felled trunk side by side, preparing soup in your bascinet. Upon seeing you, the harpy jumped up and gabbled:
"Oh, you finally got out! Well not like we doubted you would. Here, we're making soup for your return, you know, with Heinrich's hungry coming from the prison and all. And don't worry about the helmet, I'll clean it later. It's just that we lost the pot somewhere, I guess way back when that monster-tentacler attacked us. And it's always better to get a hot meal you know, also soup is better for the stomach. So you'll even thank me later, we won't get to eat anything hot for a long..."

"Hush, Aella, don't fuss," you stopped the harpy. "I'll thank you right now – it was you who found me, right? And as for the pot, I mean the helmet, to Light with it. Real heroes don't cover their faces in a fight."

"Yeah, I did. You disappeared somewhere, at first I thought young people need their time, but there was no sign of you for a while, so I got worried and flew off to look for you. I fly and see something twinkling. And the light is kinda familiar too, so I thought it's definitely our leader piddling with magic. I wanted to get closer, but those hags fired at me with bows. Listen, how did you even end up with the amazons?"

You really didn't want to tell the same story a second time, and the centuries-old precept of all leaders said: 'If you don't want to do something yourself, have somebody do it for you.'

"Marishka, do me a favour, bring Aella up to date. I'll go change in the meantime."

"What a modest man we've got here. Like there's anything we haven't seen," the cat grinned but compliantly started to tell the harpy about the complicated relationships between the demon sisters and a certain shabby paladin. Alice sat near to them and assenting when appropriate.

Meanwhile, you had the time to take a new set of clothes (black and tight-fitting, Archia had quite the taste) out of the backpack and cut yourself a suitable bundle of twigs.

When you returned, Aella was narrowly looking at the demoness:
"Can I meet your sister, little one?"

Little succubus hesitated:
"Alice doesn't know..."

"Alice, be so kind, push Lacy to the outside; we need to talk. But no matter what happens, don't come out for an hour or two, okay?" you intervened.

The demoness nodded and rolled her eyes. But before their colour had the time to change, you bent the girl's body over the trunk of a fallen tree. The cat hopped over and started to tie her hands together.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Lacy indignantly cried out.

"Time of reckoning," you said ominously, lifting the succubus' skirt.

"Like it from behind, huh? By the way, we didn't form a contract yet, so I have no obligation to fulfill your dirty fantasies. But if you insist..." You gave the demon's naked ass a trial slap with the twigs, "Oiii! Fire to your loins, I'm not a fan of BDSM! Let me go right this moment, you pervert!"

"Don't twitch too much, it's a common educational procedure. Kids who are not whipped from childhood grow up disobedient and don't listen to their parents," you exhorted, continuing to lash Lacy's ass with the twigs. "Here's in the name of Archangel Uriel, here's in the name of Archangel Gabriel, that's in the name of our merciful Lightful Savior..."

"Maybe we shouldn't," the harpy tried to stand up for the girl.

"We should, Aella, we should. Actually, hold her tail, it stirs."

Lacy howled:
"Won't forgive-won't forgive-won't forgive-WON'T FORGIVE!" suddenly, the trunk on which the execution took place crumbled to dust, the twigs blazed into flames, and the demoness herself rolled to the ground, pressing her hands against her buttocks.

"See, and you said you can't even fire a match," you wiped your brow with satisfaction. "I think we won't have any problems with her for the next couple of days. No energy for dirty tricks left."

"And after that, partner?" Marishka inquired, gloomily observing the tree's remains.

"Well, after that, we'll do it again."

Equipped:
Black shirt
Black chausses
Set of lamellar bone armor
Amulet of the Order of the Holy Light (with a Light spell, can be used as a flashlight)
Familial signet ring (golden)
Amazon bastard sword
Bascinet helm (played the role of a pot a bit, still usable)

In the backpack:
Stock of provisions (dried meat and dried fruit)
Jars for water - 3 pieces (with an imposed disinfecting spell)
First aid kit
Exploding Potion - 1 piece
Magic salve (for walking on mires, applied to the feet)
Coil of rope (50 meters)
Field raincoats - 3 pieces
Alchemical torches - 10 pieces (self-igniting, can burn even underwater)
Sundries (Flintstone, a stock of salt, a set of threads with needles)
Purse (47 gold coins)

Later, the tender-hearted harpy smeared the demon's fleshy parts with a healing grease and you all fraternally shared the soup from the helmet. The whole dinner, Lacy glared at you with hate-filled eyes until Alice changed places with her.
"Sister's angry," the demonling complained.

"Gargoyle with her, how are you, kid?" you asked. Now you were a little ashamed about the 'educational procedure'. Neutralizing and giving a lesson to the pain-in-the-ass Lacy was good and all, but what if her sister suffered unjustly because of it?

"Alice is alright; Alice doesn't feel anything when sister leads."

Now that really was a weight off your mind.

"Oh, that means you didn't get any soup?" Aella asked, upset. "That's a pity, it was our last one until the Swamper herself, although I doubt she'll feed us any soup either. Here, at least eat some raisins."

"Wait, Aella, why the last?" you wondered. "I'm ready to sacrifice the helmet again if that's what you need."

"Oh right, I need to give you that thing... the ins-truct-tions," the harpy slapped her forehead. "Guys, a little announcement. As I've already said, we have to pass through Centauria fast and sneaky. That's why we march briskly, sleep little and, most importantly, we don't make fires. This steppe is flat like Alice's chest, fire and smoke will tell everyone around that there's someone over at our location. And for some reason, centaurs think all this land to be theirs and kinda dislike outsiders. Also, if we run into the ones who work for the Tower Witch, things will look really bad for us. So we gotta all be steal-thi-ness per-so-ni-fied and chew on rations."

"Wait, chicken, are you going prohibit us from making fires in the marsh too? For the sake of steal-thi-ness," Marishka mimicked the harpy.

"No, I won't. If you, kitten, have a mystical ability to build fires without firewood while standing knee-deep in water, then more power to ya, that'll help a lot," Aella parried.

"Okay, we get it," you stopped the starting altercation. "Aella, as a guide, when do you suggest we should move out?"

"We'll sleep for a couple hours and then be on our way. I'll just go rinse your helmet, and we need to gather some water into the jars. A nighttime trip through the steppe is pure romance."

Several hours later, walking through Centauria's needle grasses, you couldn't disagree with the harpy. It was so dark you couldn't see Marishka's tail in front of you, but the stars! You hadn't really seen the night sky ever since your arrival to Avalon. And you hadn't really thought to look at it before that. And now, the knowledge you gained by reading astrological atlases was coming alive as if on its own. You felt a desire to share this amusing, albeit not particularly useful, information with someone. Actually, why not?

"Look, Alice, see this bright star? It's the Beacon of Fools in the Jester constellation. It constantly moves through the heavenly dome, so only fools would take it as a guide. And that star cluster is the Wagon, those born under it will always be lucky in their travels. Those three stars are the Devil's constellation. It is said that the enemy of humankind wanted to steal these stars, but only injured himself, and since then they shine red. And right now the Lovers' consolation is in the zenith, the best position for confessing one's love according to the astrologers..."

"Hey you two, stop staring up, better watch your step," the cat irritably interrupted your lecture.

What's with her again?

"But we can't see anything anyway, partner," you said reconcilingly.

"You can't, Anry. I can see everything," Marishka squatted, poked the ground with her finger, and, it looked like, even smelled it. "Like an oil painting. A big group of centaurs passed here an hour ago. And also some humanoids. The latter, judging by the sizes of the footprints, were cubs. They went south-west."

"You think they were those slavers?" you clarified.

"Sure of it. Gathered the little amazons and are driving them to Silenthall. Let's push it, I don't want to bump into that lot a second time."

«They took children into slavery?! Well, of course, children would make for more obedient slaves. Eastern pagans do the same: they attack coastal villages, kill the adults, then exhibit merchandise unspoiled by socialization on the slave markets... What abomination.» Your first impulse was to rush in pursuit and free the poor things. But the cool mind suggested you wouldn't be able to handle the troop you saw this morning. You had to clench your teeth and mentally write yet another line in Morgause's sentence – guilty of child trafficking.

It was already dawning when Marishka suddenly stopped and pressed her ear to the ground.

"Hoofbeats. About three dozens," the cat informed shortly.

At that moment, the harpy stumbled to the ground and abruptly uttered:
"Centaurs! Thirty-two heads. Galloping our way! Take cover, quickly!"

You hid in the high grass, hoping you wouldn't be noticed. Vainly. A group of centaurs divided, surrounded you in a pincer movement, and soon you ended up in a circle of spears. A young centauress asked hardly, the tip of her spear held at your face:

"Who are you and what are you doing in the free lands of Centauria?"

1. Say you're fulfilling an order of Morgause de la Fay
2. Say you're fulfilling an order of Archia DePort
3. Say you're going to the Swap Mistress on personal matters
4. Say you're just traveling
5. Say you're looking for something else (what?)
6. To Abyss with words, attack! (write how)

Interlude №1

--Island Avalon, Silenthall city, Tower of the Witch, 7th night.--

A scantily lit room filled to the brim with strange objects, sounds, smells. Here, a sarcophagus with a mummy and a living bush, a pile of books and a rusty stylet, the odour of fragrances and the smell of decay all exist alongside each other, and an obscure whisper can be constantly heard through the clanging of the chains pinned to the ceiling. It's not even clear how someone can be in the center of such chaos and stay sane, let alone work. But the mistress of this place likes a creative clutter.

A girl sits at the table covered with red velvet, about thirteen years old by the looks of her, performing an alchemical experiment. It looks like something has gone wrong; the young alchemist stares perplexedly at the tube with the result of her sleepless work. She's so entertained she doesn't notice the semi-transparent figure in a maid outfit that appears out of a wall.

"I beg your pardon, your Highness," the ghostly maid draws attention to herself.

"Ah, Bianka, what is it?" the girl casually drops the tube on the floor and the spilt liquid eats a deep dent through the stone plate. The servants will have more work to do today.

"A message has arrived from duchess Bathory," Bianka rustled.

"From Mina? It's about time. So, did she solve our little problem?"

"I'm afraid she has encountered some complications."

The girl tilted her head a bit, as if she didn't hear well.

"A High vampire had difficulties with ants?"

"No, my princess, a different kind of difficulties," the ghost shook her head. "It appears that one of the illuminee-knights, whom you so successfully sent to the bottom of the sea a week ago, has survived."

The girl winced.

"Unpleasant, albeit predictable. These war-dogs are more tenacious than ghouls. And who's the lucky man?"

"Duchess didn't go to the trouble of remembering the name, but he carried a dog on his emblem."

"Ah, the young Baskerville," the girl closed her eyes, remembering. "Last time I saw him, he was barely a puppy. We are distant relatives, you know. A pity the poor guy was taken to that Order. So, should I send condolences to his family?"

"I believe that would be a bit premature," Bianka uttered in a tranquil voice.

The girl drummed her fingers on the table.

"No, Mina certainly doesn't make me happy today. So why is some lightbearer still wandering my island? Did my Hand lose her grip?"

"I assume duchess Bathory is still full of energy. But the knight is heading north, to the persona familiar to you, aiming for an object familiar to you. Duchess decided we could use this in the interests of your Highness. She also assures that you only need to give an order, and the 'dog-knight' will be dead."

The girl hummed with satisfaction.

"No, let him live for now. Wondrous truly is the sublunar world, for a knight of Light can serve a master of Death."

"There is other news. Agent Shadow is ready to serve its princess again."

The girl livened up.

"Now that's really good news. A good opportunity to have a drink, I can't figure out this damned elixir anyway. Send wine to my chambers. Kennalian red. And something for dessert."

"Does your highness wishes for a boy or a girl tonight?"

"Both. And don't bother with bread.*"

Morgause de la Fay, the princess of Avalon, was going to relax thoroughly.

this is an untranslatable reference to the Soviet 'Winnie the Pooh' cartoon. The actual scene can be found here:

---

--Island Avalon, Centauria steppe, morning of the 8th day.--

Who were these centaurs? Morgause's servants? Even if they weren't, they didn't necessarily need to know the true purpose of your mission. You decided to use the legend Marishka had suggested.

"Noble warriors, we are but peaceful travelers on our way to the Swamp Mistress, seeking help in a personal matter."

"What matter would demand you to go to the Swamp Witch? And why in such a company? Does every single one of you has a personal matter?" the centauress asked, suspicion in her voice, but did move the spear a bit further away from your face.

"Everyone has their own business, don't you worry, boss," Marishka turned the idiot-mode on. "This bird-girl-fool needs brains, the guy in the armor's – a heart, a bit of courage for me, and the kid's gotta go home. That's why we are going to the wizard of the Swamp."

All-merciful Light, what drivel is coming out of this cat's mouth? Although the centauress seemed to have been impressed by it. She fell in deep thought, clearly trying to process what she had just heard. But at that moment, one of the centaur-warriors intervened, bringing the leader out of рук stupor.

"This is all very suspicious, Oreya-batyr, as are they. Spies of the Tower Witch, must be."

"Are there suspicious spies? A spy can't be suspicious, or he'll be discovered right away. It's more likely that the spies are the most unsuspicious ones. So if we are suspicious, then we are not spies," Aella showed wonders of logic. "And why would the Witch even need spies? Her servants gallop here in herds and do whatever they want."

The centaurs tensed up at once. And here you thought they were already tense.

"You saw the renegades? When? Where?" Oreya abruptly asked.

"Several hours ago we came across their fresh trail. They're going for Silenthall, slowly due to prisoners," Marishka reported in a short, military manner. "Be quick, and you'll catch up to them. And please let us go, chief, ma'am, we're innocent and, you know, in a hurry."

Oreya took a though, not for long this time.
"You'll go with us."

"But we're really in a hurry..." you tried to protest.

"You've been living with no heart so far and will survive for a while longer," the centauress cut short. "If you're telling the truth, we'll give you a ride to the Marsh. If you lied, you'll still get there, tied and dragged by the legs behind us, fast like the wind."

All of you were dexterously tied up and thrown over the horse backs like sacks of meat. The subsequent gallop left you with a pretty dreary impression: the shaking, the reek of horse sweat, the dust flying to your face... Riding a centaur was certainly not as romantic as you imagined. And most importantly, they took away your weapon. That made it two days in a row. A disgrace for a paladin, but at least noone of your comrades in the Order could see it.
Luckily, after several hours, the pursuit finally caught up to the centaur-slavers. Your cavalcade abruptly stopped.

"You didn't lie," Oreya uttered, looking at the dust clouds ahead. "Ulus, be ready! We'll punish the bastards who have betrayed their kin and the steppe itself for a wineskin and a full paunch!"
"What should we do with the prisoners, batyr?" one of the centaurs inquired.

"Have them stay here for now. Just in case. Ness!" the leader pointed at the youngest-looking centaur. "You'll guard them."

You were unloaded to the ground and the young centaur took you under guard with a sour look on his face. It looked like he would've preferred to fight, not stick around you.

Well damn, everything was being decided for you. You had to take action. Or did you?

1. Ask to participate in the attack so there are no doubts you don't work for the Witch.
2. Wait until the centaurs leave and then flee. The boy won't be a problem.
3. Sit tight on your ass, they'll work it out themselves.

Evil and injustice were about to be punished here, and a paladin of Light was supposed to stand aside? You couldn't allow this! If Light heard your prayers and raised the retributive sword over the slavers' heads, then you, Heinrich von Baskerville, were going to be among the ones to bring it down.

"Mistress Oreya, allow us to participate in the fight. With the blood of our mutual enemies, we shall wash away the misunderstandings between us."

The centauress gave you a doubtful look:
"We're going into an assault, we don't need extra weight on our backs."

"You just drop us closer to these extremists, ma'am chief, we'll move on our own from there," Marishka suggested. "And you only need to give me and the ataman a ride; bird-fool can fly and the small fry will sit here, the battle is no place for her."

"Alice is not a small fry, Alice will fight!" all of a sudden, demoness resolutely declared. A fiery swarm of salamanders danced around the girl, and the burned ropes fell to her feet. Such an outburst from this timid girl was certainly impressive.

The centaurs were impressed too. You were untied, given your weapons back, and sat on horsebacks. You liked your second ride on a centaur much better than the first, but even so, it wasn't far from the garden of Eden. The lack of a saddle proved to be wholly uncomfortable, you were sliding off all the time, and couldn't hold onto the human part as you would surely be misunderstood. Your particular situation was even worse, as the one you rode on was a centauress. When you tried to get a better grip on her horse sides with your legs, she turned around and warned:
"You do that one more time – I throw you off."

As a result, during the whole accelerated march, you hectically clung to the belts of the saddlebags. When the enemies appeared in close proximity, you mentally thanked Light and jumped off of your angry steed. Your team followed the example of their commander, and Oreya's squad rushed towards the slavers with a "Hurra!" cry. Their opponents clearly noticed the danger and formed a semblance of a battle formation.

"Oie-ei, there are kinda two of them of each of us," the harpy estimated.

"If not three. Hey, partner, you've got a plan, right?" Marishka asked with a lurking hope.

"With us is truth and Light, we are destined to victory! For it is said, 'If before me is an enemy ten times stronger than I, I shall rush at him with claws and fangs, and he shall fear»," you declared with inspiration. The cat pressed her palm against her face as if asking 'who the hell did I get involved with?'.

"However, 'if he is a hundred times stronger than me, I shall conceal myself and wait for the right moment'," you continued "Our main objective is to free the slaves. After that, we'll help our allies. If the balance of power shifts to the wrong side, we'll retreat. I hope Oreya won't needlessly destroy her own troops either. But Marishka, you shouldn't underestimate the battle spirit of the fighters who go into battle for the right cause. Such a warrior is truly worth a dozen... The briefing is over, any further decisions will be taken in accordance with the situation. Advance!"

Your first task was to sneak past the battling centaurs. The enemies' leader left the slaves in the rearward with a small group of guards, but you had to get there some way. As a result, you split. Like a shadow, Marishka slid into the grass and disappeared; Aella, of course, flew into the air; you, as a true hero, went straight ahead, under the cover of Alice's salamanders. The demonling herself hid in the grass and commanded her army from there.

When you appeared in the thick of the fight, nobody paid attention to you at first. The centaurs were constantly galloping, firing their bows, clashing chest to chest, all but biting each other. You circled one fighting group, another, but soon your luck ran out. You deflected an arrow, dodged the hoof strike with a roll, hacked under the leg of an unlucky archer, and collapsed on the ground from a powerful jerk. A lariat!

A chestnut stallion rode up to you, put his hoof on your chest, and raised your visor with a spearhead.

"Too old. Won't do," the slaver evaluated you with a grin, raised his spear for a blow, and cried out in pain. The salamanders came to your aid, setting the enemy's tail on fire together with... its surroundings. You seized the opportunity and plunged your sword into the place where his human torso connected to the equine. It went in easy, no bones to stop the intrusion. You made a mental note to remember the vulnerable spot.
You almost broke through the formation, when you saw the centaur that killed the queen of amazons. And wounded Oreya at the queenslayer's feet. And none of her comrades near; looks like the centaur leader was so absorbed in the fight, she rushed too far ahead.

You didn't hesitate for a moment.

"In the name of Light, I attack!" you shouted and rushed at the enemy with the Lion. The centaur heard your cry and tried to turn around but was too slow to meet your advance accelerated by the power of Light. You jumped onto the enemy's back and thrust your sword into his human torso. The Codex doesn't really approve strikes of this kind, but then again, you fairly warned him, it wasn't your fault that the opponent didn't manage to meet you as he should've.

"Are you alright?" you asked the centauress-batyr a few seconds later, examining her wounds. They didn't look like anything serious, just needed a few bandages.

"You saved me..." Oreya said in a disbelieving voice.

"Well, that's my knightly duty. What matters right now is for you to command retreat." You took a look around. Oreya's fighters caught up and were driving the renegades away from you, but by the looks of it, this was their last struggle. And the enemies were still many.

"Retreat now? When that scum Hamad is finally dead?! Never!" leaning onto her spear, the chieftain stood up. "Place the bastard's head on a lance, let them see their leader dead. Ulus, be ready to attack. Hurra!"

"Hurra!!" the centaurs returned. They were not going to flee the battlefield. In that case, it would be indecorous for you to. It was time to see, then, if defenders of justice really are times stronger than those who fight for profit.

Well, if you are going to die, you are going to do so with style. Or at least a prayer. A requiem, you'd say.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. You deflect a spear and cleave the shaft.
I will fear no evil; for You are with me. The enemy falls, his hands pressed against the falling out intestines.
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. A new foe is covered in full plate, but no armour can withstand the power of Light.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you are surrounded by enemies, miraculously avoiding blows.
You will revive me; You shall stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of mine enemies;
You are wounded, blood flowing from the cut forearm, and it looks like your collarbone is broken.
And Your right hand shall save me.
The enemies falter. Could your desperate attack have wavered them? The centaur in front of you falls to the ground, his throat cut. A young girl squats on the body. A girl with one horn.

As you later found out, the cat and the harpy together dealt with the guards and freed the little amazons. And they, burning with the desire to avenge their people, struck the wrongdoers in the back. This time, the slavers chose the wrong victims. A child amazon is still an amazon.

All of this was reported to you by the breathlessly twittering, flavouring the story with mind-boggling details (you didn't really believe a harpy can lift a grown-up centaur into the air and throw him to the ground), Aella, while Marishka was dressing your wounds, mumbling something under her breath, and the deathly-tired Alice was snuffling by your side, wrapped in a cloak.

Afterwards, Oreya approached you:
"Brave warriors, I remember I promised to take you to the Great Marsh as fast as possible, but perhaps you'll do us the honour of joining the feast in our camp? After all, you played a decisive role in this victory, what a celebration will it be without you?"

2. Agree, one day won't make a difference
1. Politely refuse and head to the Marsh as fast as possible

Well, why not rest and heal your wounds? On top of that, it would be interesting to see the way centaurs live.

"We will be honoured to be your guests," you answered sedately.

Oreya was clearly pleased.

"That's wonderful. My father, khan Chiron, will be glad to show you our hospitality."

"And what about our little one-horns?" Aella inquired. It seemed like after the rescue, she felt a certain responsibility for the little amazons.

"I wanted to invite them to the feast as well, or at least give them an escort to the forest, but they refused. They don't trust us. I can't blame them after everything that bastard Hamad and his henchmen did. Oh, their leader wanted to see you," the centauress remembered.

The amazons already got themselves a leader. That was quick. You ought to meet him; her, you meant to say. After all, you didn't part on the friendliest terms.

You tried to get up, but that didn't really work. In her sleep, Alice grabbed the side of your cloth and had clearly no intentions to let go. Apparently, adherence was a family trait of the succubi-sisters, just manifested itself in different ways. Ultimately unable to do anything about it, you went to meet the amazons with a demoness stuck to your back. And may anyone even try to giggle at the ferocious renegade-slayer!

The leader of the amazons sat in the middle of a group of little girls armed-to-the-teeth with trophy weapons. Both the swords and the centaur spears were obviously too large for the little ones and the scene should've looked ridiculous. Except it didn't. Too much tired vigilance was there in the eyes of these children. Their leader approached you, and you recognized a familiar face.

"Kima? Didn't think you'd be so quick to get to a commanding position."

"The horse bastards are be thanked for that, turns out I'm the oldest here," one of your ex-captors said with a crooked smile. "It's not very fair though: you know my name but I never learned yours. And let sister cat and sister bird give their names too."

"Heinrich Osborne Vailor von Baskerville, at your service." You gave a light bow. "And this is Alice, also she fought today."

"Aella Whirlwinged from the Grey Mountains, same," the harpy comically bowed.

"Marishka," Marishka said simply.

"Heinrich Osborne Vailor von Baskerville, Alice, Aella Whirlwinged from the Grey Mountains, and Marishka. I, Kima daughter of Klonia, thank you on behalf of the tribe and assure that you will always be welcomed guests in our village," Kima ceremonially declared. "We are going back home and will try to build everything anew. Heinrich, I won't ask forgiveness for what happened between us, as such is the path of my people. But you especially will always be a desired guest; we could use fresh, strong blood. And you would... won't be treated badly."

Heavenly Light, was it just your imagination, or were you really offered to work as a procreator? Judging by the sneering grin the cat's face, it wasn't. What can a faithful Paladin answer to this!?

You were saved by Oreya as she rode up to your group.

"We're leaving. Heinrich, right? You'll ride on me."

"But miss Oreya, you're wounded," you replied to the centauress. You had ridden enough centaur-girls for the day.

"Just a trifle, few warriors avoided injuries today. And I owe you my life. I don't want to look ungrateful, the spirits of the ancestors wouldn't approve."

"Oh, the spirits of the ancestors. Can't be helped then, I guess," you sighed, quickly bid Kima farewell, and climbed onto the filly. You were ought to try and proselytize the heathen into the True Faith. Thinking about it, all of your companions were heathens, if not worse. It would be nice to practice some missionary activities in your spare time; although, the Church didn't recognise the existence of souls in the dark races, meaning that the Light of Truth couldn't touch them. Yeeah, that was an issue, even if you yourself were sure your team didn't have any problems with souls, the succubus even possessing two of them. The clerical laws really needed to be revised.

Oreya's voice brought you out of the near-heretical contemplations:
"Hold tight!" the sudden dash made you grip the young woman's waist. Except you missed it slightly... And why the demon did she take her breastplate off?!

"I beg your pardon..." you said in embarrassment, taking your hands off of the soft and very hot chest.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Hold wherever's more convenient, just don't fall off," the centauress carelessly responded and went even faster.

This gallop fixed all your prejudices against rides on centaurs. You felt strong muscles playing between your legs, embraced the girl's delicate figure, and Oreya's soft hair was lashing against your face time and again. The hair smelled like smoke and a mixture of steppe herbs – an odour much more elegant than the most expensive perfumes of the glamour court ladies. You just wanted to bury yourself in this mane and breath in the bitterish smell...

«Heavenly wrath, that's not what you should be thinking of, paladin. Goo thing that Oreya is tolerant to your impulses, unlike your previous carrier. Where is she, by the way?» You looked around at the galloping squad but didn't see the angry centauress.

"Oreya, where's the girl that carried me previously?"

You couldn't see her face, but the young woman tensed a bit under your hands.

"Likotia has fallen... As have many others," the centauress uttered in a hollow voice. Only now you noticed that the troop's numbers have substantially declined.

"We rode away so quickly, didn't we need to bury them?" apparently, centaurs weren't carrying the dead with them either. Did they really leave their bodies for the crows to feast on?

"The shaman will perform all the necessary rituals later. But I believe that even without them, those who fell in the battle with the traitors will arrive at the Grey Plains undisturbed. The bodies are just hollow shells, let the steppe dispose of them as she sees fit."

Oreya fell silent for a long time. About an hour of galloping passed before the centauress shook up and declared quite cheerfully:
"Here's the camping ground! Meet your heroes, people!"

The first thing you saw after riding closer to the camping ground were the bright patches of the tents. It looked like their diversity was defying the two monochrome plains – the greenness of the steppe and the azure of the sky. The second thing that caught your eye were the herds of ungulates. At first, you thought them to be centaurs, then realized that the creatures were simple horses. Hm, why would centaurs need horses? They certainly couldn't ride them You asked Oreya this question.

"What do you mean why? How about the milk, meat, skin?" the centauress fell silent for a moment and the furiously added. "And if anyone tells you we copulate with them, they're a mudslinger and a liar!"

You rode to the largest of the tents and, with a bit of regret, got off of Oreya's back. Next to you, Marishka softly jumped off of 'her' steed. She then bent backwards and rubbed her bottom:
"Nyahh, bony cattle, my butt aches because of you."

"Poor kitten," the centaur sympathized. "Come to my tent, I'll give the injured place a proper rub."

The cat showed him an international gesture of defiance. The centaur only broke into laughter.

Meanwhile, the other members of your team gathered in front of the tent, and you went inside. There, on pillows, surrounded by a dozen centaur women of different age, lounged a grey-bearded old man. Upon your arrival, he nodded graciously. In response, Oreya knelled, which looked peculiar performed by a centaur, and started to speak ceremonially:
"Oh wisest Chiron-khan, rejoice, for the vile traitor Hamad is finally dead. Your humble daughter has two gifts for you: the head of the traitor to bring joy to your eyes and his killer, as well as my saviour, to share this joy with."

After these words, you stepped forward and bowed:
"Heinrich Osborne Vailor von Baskerville at your service, khan."

"Brave Heinrich-batyr, woe is me as I have no reward suitable for you. If you were of our kin, I would have given you any of my daughters without hesitation, perhaps even two." The aged man fell in thought for a moment, taking a sip of kumys from a bowl. "But I still cannot pay you no homage. Tell me, what do you need? Gold, horses, swords?"

"Oh generous khan, I fight not for rewards..." you started and almost cried out from pain. Marishka drove her claws into your fresh wound, hinting that excessive modesty is not always a good thing. Not that she was wrong; members of some nations may feel offended if you refuse their gift. "And your favour is more valuable than any gold. But if you're offering me swords, offer only with the hands that hold them. For it has been well said that with gold, one shan't obtain fellow warriors, but with fellow warriors, one shall obtain both gold and glory."

The claws on your shoulder instantly disappeared, and Chiron nodded sedately:
"Nicely said, batyr, I see you wise as well as strong. Who is your enemy and for what cause do you need armed aid?"

"My enemy is the enemy of all the free peoples of Avalon," you declared grandly. "Morgause de la Fay, the Witch of the Tower."

The centaur khan choked on kumys hearing that but quickly adjusted himself:
"A formidable opponent. She has done a lot of harm to this land and, I think, will do even more if we don't cut the root of evil. When do you plan to advance against her?"

"As of now, khan, I am only gathering allies and seeking weapons to battle her. For that, we have to arrive at the Marsh as soon as possible."

Hearing you weren't going to march against the necromancer right this moment, Chiron calmed down a bit:
"I swear by the Sons of the Storm, you will be there no later than tomorrow noon. As for when the hour of the battle comes, I will stand under your banners to overcome the common enemy. But right now, be my guest, eat, drink, enjoy yourself. Let's mourn the dead and be glad for the living. Hey, women, bring meat, kumys, music!"

This feast didn't make a good impression on you. The horse meat was tough, the music savage, and kumys... Had you not tried it during the war with steppe orks, you'd be in a bad place. But even now, you had to sip the drink little by little simply not to puke. The finishing blow came the moment you were given a large golden chalice of strange form. In response to your inquiring look, Chiron broke into laughter.

"Isn't it true kumys is sweeter when drinking it from your foe's skull?!" stated the considerably drunk khan and started to feel up one of his wifes' (daughters'?!) breasts.

Pfweah, pagan vileness. Only the inborn diplomacy didn't allow you to throw the damn thing away and leave for the fresh air. Still, you only pretended to drink and then quietly put the chalice aside.

The only thing improving the situation was Oreya who was picking the better meat parts for you and entertained you with a conversation. Realizing you felt bored, she leaned to your ear and whispered:
"Why don't we go to my place and play some backgammon? I also have a trophy jar of grape wine stocked away."

"Oreya, I don't know how to play backgammon, or whatever it's called," you shook your head.

The centauress smiled craftily:
"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything."

1. Accept Oreya's offer
2. Refuse and stay at the feast
3. Refuse and go talk to one of your companions (who?)
4. Refuse and go to sleep.

Hm, why not? This sodom feast has really tired you.

You gave Oreya a nod, and the two of you quietly slipped away. With the corner of your eye, you noticed Marishka following you with an inquisitive gaze, then making an immodest gesture with her hands. In response, you showed the cat a closed fist, which ended the silent conversation.

The tent of the khan's daughter was substantially smaller than her father's but also much cosier. Fluffy carpets, pillows; a small oven on the floor creating a dim semi-darkness. Oreya dove into the piles of pillows and resurfaced with a jar, two bowls, and some kind of desk.

"Heinrich, meet backgammon. Backgammon, this is Heinrich," the centauress jokingly introduced you.

You examined the offered game: an ornament desk, dices, multi-coloured chips...

"Ehm, Oreya, I don't think it'll be easy to learn to play this."

"Oh, it's really simple, you just have to roll the dice and move the chips through the desk's circle. Of course, there are some nuances..." explaining the nuances took about ten minutes. "Got it?"

"I think so," you nodded uncertainly.

"Great, then let's play, you'll figure out the details on the go." Oreya suddenly went silent. "Although, there's one 'but'. This ancient game symbolises a journey to the Grey Plains, and if you lose, you have to make a sacrifice to the spirits."

"In other words, we have to make stakes. Fine then, I have some coins with me, and gold is just a burden on a journey anyway."

The centauress shook her head:
"No, you need something more personal, and I don't want to rob you... Oh, I know, let's play strip!"

That startled you a bit.

"How does that work?"

"Very simple, the one to lose takes off a piece of cloth. The game ends when someone undresses completely. A sacrifice to the spirits here will be the embarrassment of the loser."

You took a thought. You were clad in full armour, while Oreya only wore an embroidered silk shirt and some jewellery. It looked like you weren't risking anything. Also, a thought came to your kumys-poisoned mind that seeing the chest you felt today would be... amusing.

"Deal."

Each of you drank a bowl of pretty good wine, and the game started. You lost the first round and took a pauldron off, lost the second and took off the greaves. So it continued for a short time until you had no armour left and realized that were you not to change your tactic soon, you'd suffer a shameful defeat. You had to distract your opponent with something, something demoralising... Oh, right, you could make her a compliment, a fancy one. But as ill luck would have it, nothing was coming to your mind. Oh that stern upbringing of the Order, you couldn't even tell a lady anything courteous or make a rhyme. The only thing hammered into your head was the Kind Book... well, then the Holy Writ would be what helps you.

You cleared your throat and quoted from memory:
"Your papillae are like two yeanlings, like twin yeanlings.
Your neck is like an ivory tower,
Command notice — all heads turn in awe and admiration!
Your breasts are like two fawns, two fawns of a gazelle.
Like through lilies they wander,
Like they wait till the shadows start moving,
And on mondial hill those gazelles
Hurry on, like suns in the times by..."

The result exceeded your every expectation. Oreya dropped the dice, googled at you, turned red, then vigorously swigged the wine right out of the jar and declared:
"Let's pllaay!!"

The flow of the game changed immediately, and soon you witnessed the 'fawns'. Say what you would, they looked no worse than they felt. Especially the 'yeanlings' surrounded by dark halos. When Oreya dropped her last earring, she scarcely got up to her feet, shakily walked to you, and uttered:
"You are the w-winner. And the winner gets e-everything," and collapsed right on top of you, pressing you to the floor.

"Ah, Oreya, you're very sweet, but I don't think I'm ready... I mean, we are of different species, and don't think it'll work out... And- and I keep celibacy!" At that moment, you noticed that the girl was keeping silent and didn't even move. "Oreya, are you sleeping?"

Yes, that's right. The centauress drank too much of the unfamiliar grape wine so unfamilir to her and simply went out like a light. What were you supposed to do? With a bit of a difficulty, you managed to get out from under the girl, admired her peaceful sleep, ran your hand over her hair, then, to compare the sensation, over her tail. You couldn't help but touch her breast, then threatened yourself with the heavenly wrath and covered Oreya with a blanket.

You were going to leave and go look for your lodging for the night, but all the stress of the day and the amount drunk in the night caught up to you. As a result, you fell asleep on the very same pile of pillows.

The Paladin of Avalon

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