The Scarlet Paladin

Ursa felt her berserker instincts taking over. Her thoughts were scattered and her lust for battle was spurring her forward. She had to find Jasmine. Now.

She tore through the hallways, kicking down doors and scanning the rooms. Several bandit corpses littered her path, their wounds deep and precise. Ursa pushed forward, descending into the cellar, then backtracking after finding only an empty cage and another corpse.

Her body trembled with rage and bloodlust. Her distance from Claire and the absence of her aura made it harder for her to stay lucid. Her class was surging and clawing for dominance.

Then she smelt blood. Fresh blood. She sprinted up to the second floor, smashing through debris. She followed the carnage of a fight, only for her vision to blur.

She was losing control.

Ursa let out a roar, a mashup of canine and human sounds. Her pupils dilated and glowed. She was running on pure instinct now, following the scent of blood.

On the other side of the second floor, Jasmine was cornered. Her left arm was limp after her failed attack. Reyna's strike cut to the bone. Her ankle screamed in protest as she backed closer to the wall.

Jasmine was outmatched. After failing to end the fight initially, she was now doing her best to survive.

"Come on!" Reyna purred, wiping her blade on her thigh. "It's so boring when all you do is run."

Jasmine's grip tightened on her dagger. She had lost her poisoned one in the initial engagement. She'd wanted to end this herself. For the villagers, the creature in the basement, and all the families this twisted bitch tore apart. But she had miscalculated.

She threw her dagger mid-dodge after Reyna swiped at her. It scraped across her shoulder, barely piercing the skin. Reyna didn't even flinch. Instead, she laughed, exposing the web of scars across her face.

"That's better. Make it fun."

Jasmine ignored the searing pain of her maneuver. She had to survive. That roar before had to be Ursa.

Another roar.

Closer this time. Jasmine prepared herself to move again. The pain was getting too much to deal with. She just had to not die.

Reyna cocked her head. "Friend of yours?" she sneered. "She'll have to wait her turn."

She lunged towards Jasmine again. Jasmine's right shoulder exploded in pain as Reyna's sword pierced her skin. The pain nearly knocked her unconscious as her vision blackened.

All she could hear was Reyna's maniacal laughter. But Jasmine also had the urge to laugh. She couldn't help herself. What was about to happen was too funny.

Reyna's eyes sparkled with delight upon seeing Jasmine's state. She mistook Jasmine's reaction for delirium, unknowing of the woman who just turned the corner.

Jasmine weakly pointed.

Reyna tilted her head, confused. But she followed Jasmine's finger. "What the fu-"

A blur of muscle and fury clashed into Reyna, slamming her through the wall like a battering ram. Dust exploded from the room.

Reyna was slammed into another wall. She coughed and staggered, but was able to stand. Her armor was dented, but she was able to take the hit. It took a moment, but she was able to gain her bearings.

That's when she was able to see her assailant. Wild red eyes, foam at her mouth and clenched fists. White hair and tan skin. A northerner. Why was a Ravian here?

Her moment of hesitation allowed Ursa to strike. She punched the former knight, knocking several of her teeth out.

Reyna hit the floor, clutching her broken jaw. She gagged on blood and molars, spitting out a gruesome mix. She reached for her sword instinctively, but it was still buried in that assassin.

Jasmine had already disappeared, leaving a puddle of blood.

Reyna did her best to sit up. Activating one of the skills she had acquired upon defecting. False Surrender. A skill that worked better the higher the Wisdom stat was. She prepped the knife she had hidden, hoping the woman would fall for it.

But for some reason, it didn't work. It didn't even trigger.

She helplessly watched as Ursa kicked her across the room. She slammed into the wall, breaking through to the adjacent room. Reyna writhed in pain, the wind knocked out of her.

But she stood.

She wasn't praised for her strength and resilience for nothing. She was a former knight captain, known for her combat abilities. She would not die to some northerner beast.

She still had her knife. She pulled it up and taunted Ursa. "Come on, then," she growled. Her jaw was barely functioning.

Ursa growled with a wicked smile on her face. Then she charged.

Jasmine watched in awe as Reyna was nearly flung into her hiding spot. She held still, breath shallow. Blood seeped from her arms, but she stayed crouched. Kept hidden.

The two warriors collided again creating a shockwave that pulsed through the room. Reyna moved low, using her knife to stab at Ursa's abdomen. She hoped to cripple the woman.

But Ursa caught the blade with her barehand.

Reyna's eyes widened as she fought to free her knife. She yanked and twisted, but the knife didn't even budge. How could this happen? Her strength stat was in the 30's.

Then came the counter. Another right hook sent Reyna flying backwards with a sickening crack. Ursa growled, but it seemed more like laughter.

Reyna staggered to her feet, now truly enraged. She readied her fists and charged at the wild woman. Ursa met her in the middle. The two exchanged blows that shook the entire building, with neither of them faltering.

Jasmine watched on, gaining some movement in her arm. The sword was still in her shoulder, but she had enough strength to move now. She'd have to be calculating, strike when Reyna was engaged.

But Ursa was still laughing.

Jasmine watched from the side, regaining some movement in her right arm. She studied Ursa with a bit of fear. She was enjoying this. Then her eyes went to the dagger Reyna had used.

Reyna was pissed. She was a former knight captain. She should not be losing this. She roared and charged at Ursa.

Ursa slipped her jab, going for a grapple. Reyna braced for it, readying another skill of hers. Her Reversal Grapple. With expert precision, she used Ursa's own momentum to flip her, slamming the berserker into the floor with such force the building groaned.

But her smile just grew.

She wrapped her feet around Reyna's and pulled her down. Reyna struggled to fight, but Ursa had rolled her into a vicious armbar. Reyna's arm bent in ways it shouldn't.

Snap!

Reyna screamed without sound as pain shot through her forearm. She barely managed to pull another knife and stab at Ursa. This one pierced the wild woman.

But Ursa didn't stop. Didn't even wince. She tore the blade from her flesh and rolled backwards, getting to her feet. She was toying with Reyna. Taunting her to get up.

Reyna was breathing heavily and fighting to stay conscious. She was battered but furious as she stood up. Her one arm was useless and her eye was swelling, threatening to cut off her vision. She struggled to even breathe, but she roared as she charged towards Ursa. "I'll kill you!"

Then pain exploded from her back.

Jasmine struck with her own knife. She stumbled into a roll, getting her distance from the enraged bandit. She rolled into a wall, feeling the pain overwhelm her again.

Reyna whirled, stunned, blood gurgling from her mouth. "You-"

Ursa's fist slammed into her.

With a sickening crunch, her neck twisted sideways. Reyna's lifeless body slammed into the wall. The light in her eyes was gone.

Relief washed over Jasmine. The fight was over. Reyna was dead.

But Ursa turned to Jasmine, a fury in her eyes. She had stolen her kill, her valor. Anger surged within the woman as she pressed forward.

Jasmine watched on in horror as the enraged Ravian approached her. Her body was too broken and too drained to move. There was no recognition in Ursa's eyes. She was gone.

But then she blinked.

"Jaz."

The name spilled from her lips like a whisper, half-conscious, entirely instinctual. Something deep within Ursa pulled her consciousness back into control. Her pupils returned to normal. She dropped to her knees.

"I'm here." Ursa whispered more clearly this time. She silently thanked Rava. Somehow, she was able to get control. "We'll get you to Ana."

Jasmine let out a labored sigh. She smiled warmly but tired. "Thank you."