The Scarlet Paladin

Claire found it easier to fight after their regrouping. Throwing up had weirdly helped, it cleared the pain she had felt in her stomach. Thankfully, these bandits were piss-poor combatants. None of them were that much of a challenge, it was the villagers that caused them issues.

With fewer targets, isolating them became harder and harder. The battlefield became far more chaotic, but thankfully, none of the villagers had been killed yet. She'd deal with those emotions later.

Right now, she had bandits to cut down.

She struck down another bandit. By her rough count, about fifteen women were defeated between her and Ursa. They were close. She was close to joining Jasmine.

"Claire. The villagers." Ursa said with her back pressed to Claire. "They're waking up."

Claire looked around, and the villagers were blinking rapidly and looking around confused. Claire didn't want to focus on that. Some of the bandits were still alive, and Claire couldn't let them take hostages.

Panic spread quickly. The villagers' cries echoed throughout the field. Claire braced herself as mob mentality took over. The villagers, now free of their mind control, scattered in every direction, causing Claire to lose track of her enemies.

She looked around desperately for any sign of the bandits. Then she noticed a group of villagers headed towards the twins and Lily.

"Go. I'll handle this." Ursa barked, shoving her forward. "Make sure they are safe."

Claire didn't hesitate. She trusted Ursa to be safe. She sprinted past the chaos, shoving villagers to the side. She arrived just in time to see Elsie ignite a bandit with her fireball. The bandit it struck screamed and staggered, only to be skewered by Claire's sword.

Fury began to flow through her after seeing the bandits target them. She could feel it take over. She kicked the woman's body off her sword and pushed towards her backline.

Elsie's hand trembled, but she had defiance in her eyes. "Be careful. Been dealing with an archer since regrouping."

Claire nodded and looked around, putting her body between the trio and the battlefield. "Got it. Ana, status on Ursa?"

"She seems to be fine, he-her health is still high." Ana declared. She was scanning the battlefield. The archer had nearly hit Elsie before and she was pissed. "She was last seen there."

Claire followed Ana's finger, which was pointing to the wave of villagers. She took a breath to think. Really think. This woman was different. The other bandits were easy to pick out from the crowd. This one must be Reyna's.

Look for something else. Not her garb or her manner, but her environment. She took in the crowd of women, all scrambling. North, east, or south, any direction away from the bandits' hideout. Look for someone running towards it.

There.

A woman her age running against the tide. Then another, and another. Three of them ran from one position. Her eyes snapped to where they came from, just barely pulling her shield up in time to block the arrow.

"Soorrrry!" Lily cried out just as her slingshot twanged. Claire dipped her shield low enough to see the vial shatter among the villagers. Orange mist bloomed amongst the crowd. The crowd slowed, screaming turning to gasping and finally to silence.

Claire yanked her collar up to cover her nose and mouth. Eyes followed her as she advanced, scared and confused. It was a chilling sight to see.

"Claire!" Elsie cried out right as something moved.

In a sea of unmoving villagers, one blur caught Claire's attention. She turned her shield and barely blocked the strike. Still, pain shot through her shoulder like fire.

The dagger hit deep, blood rushing down her sleeve. She managed to slice at her assailant, feeling it connect. She heard the woman yelp, but she had already slipped away.

Claire staggered back, scanning the faces around her. Terrified eyes stared back at her. No one else moved. Just the frozen villagers.

Claire glanced back, catching Ana's ward being summoned. It blocked the rapidly fired arrows of the archer. She wanted so desperately to run back and shield them, but that other one was still here.

Given the woman's silent movements, she must be an assassin or a scout of some kind. Maybe another defector. Trained, but not Jasmine. She took a breath, clearing her mind.

Then she gambled.

She gambled on the arrogance of the other woman. She turned back towards her backline, feinting her retreat. A trick she learned from that troll. Let her think she's retreating.

Just as she was about to step forward, a gasp rang out behind her. She fought every instinct to turn back. For her gambit to work, she needed to commit.

Another gasp. Closer.

She knew the potion was wearing off. She had to end this before then. If the assassin vanished into the crowd, she'd never find her.

The next one was only a handful of feet behind her.

The woman was close. And definitely not as fast as Jasmine. Not even when she was going easy on Claire.

Claire spun, mustering the strength left in her shield arm. She powered up and unleashed her defensive strike on the woman. Her shield struck true, slamming into the woman's face. But Claire wasn't unscathed. A second dagger was embedded in her thigh, causing her to falter.

But the woman was stunned.

Claire roared, loud and raw, a cry that rivaled Ursa's. She drove her sword forward, skewering the assassin.

Then their eyes met.

Claire watched in horror as the life faded from the woman's eyes. The body went limp in her grip, sliding slowly off her blade. Then, the lifeless body fell to the ground.

The gravity of what she had been doing was threatening to take over again. She could feel herself beginning to freeze. But the pain, both physical and emotional pain wouldn't let her collapse. Her lovers needed her.

She felt the warmth of Ana's magic envelop her, the daggers sliding out of her. That warmth kept her grounded, kept her from vomiting again. She needed to get back to them.

A scream rang out, unfamiliar and panicked. Like a woman on fire. Claire didn't flinch or even stop. Elsie's fireball must have struck her. Then, the screaming stopped.

She was happy to finally be through all this.

"Claire. Thank goodness." Lily called, rushing towards her. "Elsie, she got hit."

Claire's eyes widened, and she pushed past Lily. She found Ana kneeling beside Elsie, an arrow sticking from Elsie's shoulder. Claire knelt beside her, watching the yellow glow of Ana's magic envelop her sister.

"What happened?" Claire asked, panic creeping into her voice.

"Sh-she jumped in front of me. Took the arrow and released her spell." Ana said, her voice shaking. "It was incredible. B-but stupid. Elsie, why would you ri-"

"Ana!" Elsie snapped, pale but conscious. "I'm your older sister. And the future mother of your kids. Of course I'd protect you."

Claire sighed, thankful that Elsie was fine. She got to her feet and surveyed the crowd. The pain was still there, but her confidence had returned.

"Listen up!" She called, voice firm and commanding. "We were tasked with taking care of these bandits. Right now, my party member is dealing with their boss. I need all of you to stop and listen."

All eyes turned to her. She took a deep breath.

"Form up in an organized line. We need to make sure no bandits are hiding amongst you." Claire instructed. "Look to your left, now look to your right. Anyone not amongst your village?"

They obeyed. She was relieved that there were no more bandits.

"Now! Is anyone amongst you missing? Any children or men?"

The crowd murmured and deliberated for several minutes. Then an older woman stepped forward. "Our kids… They aren't here."

Claire's heart sank. Of course. They must be inside.

"Okay. Are there any combatants? Or anyone training to be combatants." Claire asked. She saw several hands raise, and she beckoned them forward.

"Come. Pick up the weapons from the bandits, we need you."

Eight women stepped forward, quickly grabbing the weapons of the fallen bandits.

"Once you're armed, divide yourself. Three to escort people back, and five to secure the stronghold." Claire commanded. She felt her adrenaline pump as she commanded the women. "The five who stay will guard the perimeter. Leave the building and rescuing the children to us. One, well, now two have made their way inside."

As if on cue, she saw Ursa rip open the entrance. Pride in her lover flared up within her as Ursa rushed in without hesitation..

"As for the rest of you. Head back to what's left of your village. Keep calm. Keep safe. And know this…" Claire spoke, looking into the eyes of every villager she could. "I swear to you on my Goddess, we will get your children back."