The Paladin Order Reformed

The days before that mysterious man's visit and Sir Richard's sudden trip to the capital were fond memories. After those events, things would change, for the better or worse I wouldn't be able to tell you even today.

The first was training, It completely changed after Sir Richard returned. It became even harder than it was before, which I didn't think was even feasible. It seemed like he became oddly motivated after the trip to the capital, I guess "talking" to his comrades must have reinvigorated him somehow.

In weapons training I was pushed to my complete limit, it would no longer be easier, then harder. It just kept getting harder each and every day. I had to overcome each challenge that I was faced with, because if I didn't, well I wouldn't survive as Sir Richard put it.

Sir Richard would no longer spar against me alone. I always had to fight 3, 4, sometimes even 5 people at a time, when I raised opposition to the unfair disadvantage I was put under It was always discarded by Sir Richard.

"You'll have to fight a lot more enemies and a lot of better-trained enemies than this." Is the only point he made whenever I tried to appeal to him.

I was always brutally beaten, but I got up every time. I was motivated, not only by the vision of becoming a Paladin Knight but also because I knew I wasn't strong enough. The closer the day came when I had to go fight, the more I feared it. Not because I was afraid to die, I just feared that I would someway fail the people I led. I needed to be able to protect those who put their trust in me.

So for their sake, I endured every beating, every lesson, I did everything I could just to make myself better. I would hobble to the temple after every day and soak in the healing water and allow its warmth to seep into my tired bones. After, Aliece would heal any injury I had.

It's funny, I asked to be able to continue to play for Aliece and the other faeries as my pension after we first met, but at the end of the day, I didn't have enough strength to hold my mandola let alone play it. She didn't mind, as she healed me every night she only asked that I would sing to her as she worked. So I did, as battered and weary as I was, my voice still worked. So I sang until my injuries were healed and I could run from my fatigue no longer.

Every night as my weariness enveloped me and my mind started its journey to visit that blissful realm that I visited every night, Aliece would gaze into my tired eye while she ran her small and delicate hands through my hair coaxing me to fall into that wonderful place. Her small lips would always plant a kiss on my forehead blessing my travel to that other world before she would return to the forest for the night.

With that small blessing, I would sleep soundly every night. My dreams were peaceful rewards for the toils of that day.

Then the sun would call me from my small refuge, awakening me, thus starting the day. Every day I would battle earnestly not allowing myself to give anything but my all. I gave all my effort, all my time, all my thoughts, and all my being to my training and lessons. When the day finished, there was nothing left. There were no regrets, no longing, and nothing I could have done better or worse. I was completely contempt with myself knowing that I did everything I could possibly do that day.


Then the cycle repeated itself, each and every day. It's funny how slow time passed as I went through the year, but looking back It seems like it only lasted for an instance.

I held my wooden sword in front of me and gripped my wooden dagger angling it to my left side in anticipation for any of the seven men, including Sir Richard, to start their attacks. These six men were some of the stronghold's best fighters they had available, any other experienced soldier was on watch duty, but these were the best.

With a nod from Sir Richard, they marched forward and encircled me, cutting off any chance of escape. Two of the men got behind me trying to get in my blind spot, but before they could all attack simultaneously I looked to one of the sergeants wielding a wooden greatsword close to my left side and picked him as my first target.

I dash towards him avoiding the first mighty strike of his greatsword, I strike downward at his wrist knocking the heavy greatsword from his hands.

Wasting no time I put my dagger to his throat signaling the end of his participation in the match.

Sensing it, I meet a sword aimed at my head with my own, deflecting it downward. I quickly retreat a few steps to put distance between me and the six others that converged on me as I fought.

One of the more athletically built staff sergeants quickly rushed to meet me, I sprinted forward to meeting him as he was still in momentum. He was surprised, but not caught off guard. With two-hands, he thrust his longsword towards my chest, I ducked to avoid it. He goes forward as his attack is met with no resistance, I stick my foot out and trip him as he's going forward. He falls face first, I quickly "slit" his throat before disengaging.

The staff sergeant was ahead of the other's which allowed me to single him out, but the remaining five enemies came at me in a collective group. They came at me in a half-circle formation hoping to crush me on three sides. I waited for them to advance to me, when they got close enough I kicked up a veil of dirt to obscure their vision.

I jumped through the veil of dirt ramming my shoulder into a Private First Class's stomach who was directly in front of me. As he crumpled to the ground a short sword came out of the still falling dirt, I quickly jump to the side, but not before it grazes my arm. My arm is left throbbing, but I stopped letting the pain of blows hinder me long ago.

Not letting the wielder recover, I jump forward catching his sword and deflecting it to the side with my own while slashing his stomach with my dagger, eliminating him. Another longsword and a battle-ax come from either side of me, I catch them both with my sword and dagger. In front of me, the bulky Captain of the Guard raised a cudgel to strike me down. With both hands occupied I kicked him squarely in the chest causing him to stumble back momentarily dazed.

I direct the ax caught by my dagger down causing the opponent to stubble slightly forward, then use my legs and upper body to deal a forceful uppercut to the wielder, knocking him out. The one wielding a sword, Sir Richard, disengages then tries to jab with the sword.

I quickly turn sideways to avoid the blow, he slashes horizontally trying to cut my side. I duck, allowing the sword to cleave the air above me. I quickly stand up and kick the side of Sir Richard's head with the inside of my foot, sending him sprawling.

Before I can react, the Captain of the Guard strikes my left shoulder, making it instantly numb. His follow up strike was aimed at my head, I duck swiftly allowing it to pass over me safely, then jump up using my momentum to carry the pommel of my sword to the edge of his chin knocking him out cold.

I breathe heavily and my left shoulder might be dislocated, but I won the fight. I walk over to Sir Richard to help him up, the blow that I gave him is well forgotten in his mind. He's smiling ear to ear when I pick him up, I can't help but smile back.

He rubs his back while smiling. "Dang it Christain, why did you make my fall on my back. You know it's been bothering me." I laugh and apologize.

"Sorry Sir Richard, if I knew you were so fragile I would have gone easier on you."

"You have no respect for your elders, do you Christian?" He says condescendingly. I smile sheepishly at him.

"Sorry if I went overboard, Sir Richard."

He chuckles a bit at this. "You did a fine job lad, don't worry about it."

All the soldiers come over to us, seemingly recovered. Martin the staff sergeant looks at me with astonishment and says "Christain, you were awesome! When you kicked up that dirt and charged through it, William never saw it coming.

William a Private First Class chuckled with embarrassment. "I had no idea what hit me, I think you bruised a rib." I try to apologize, but he waves it off. Only accepting my healing of the injury as sentiment, I then heal the rest of the soldiers to reconcile. William laughs while saying "Don't worry Christain, my wife has done worse than this."

A deep laugh comes from behind me, and the goliath of a Captain of the Guard, Samson, pats my uninjured shoulder considerately. "You better watch out Christian, because if Williams's wife sees you do something like that again, then she'll force you to teach it to her." All the soldiers knowingly laugh at that.

They all congratulate me and wish me well before setting off to the stronghold to continue their duties. As Sir Richard and I walk back to the library he asks me, "Has your Swordsmanship risen any?"

"Sure, I'll look," I respond. I mentally cast [Archanum Script].

Name: Christian [No last name awarded]

Age: 17

Class: Paladin Knight Squad Leader

Health: 250/250

Mana: 800/800

Condition:

Dislocated (shoulder) +Healing

Happy

Stats:

- Strength -

102

- Agility -

112

- Intelligence -

131

- Wisdom -

97

- Vitality -

62

- Endurance-

71

Gained Knowledge:

Armed Combat-Lv.8

Unarmed Combat-Lv.7

Horsemanship-Lv.4

Magecraft-Lv.8

Strategy-Lv.5

Craftsmanship-Lv.3

Basic Knowledge-Lv.9

Equipment Restoration-Lv.4

Tracking-Lv.3

Bushcraft-Lv.5

Cooking-Lv.4

Medical Knowledge-Lv6

Historical Knowledge-Lv.5

Concealment-Lv.4

Mandola Artistry-Lv.3

Language Knowledge-Lv.6

I shake my head, "It hasn't changed since two weeks ago."

He nods with understanding. "That makes sense, you somehow got your level up to 8 in a year. I know you trained incredibly hard, but still, it just doesn't seem possible. I didn't reach Lv.8 in Armed combat until I was about to retire, you must be a prodigy or something."

I shake my head not agreeing with him. "I'm not a prodigy, I just trained every day. I pushed my limits and kept pushing them until I couldn't reach them anymore."

He taps me on the head. "You still have a limit, you've just made yours hard to reach."

He grabs me by my uninjured shoulder and looks me in the eyes, then says, "You have done amazing Christian, you've done everything you've could have done, you've given it your all without relenting once. Soon you'll surpass me in every way."

I pat his hand and say. "I doubt that very much, but thank you."

He smiles genuinely at me. "You're going to go off to a resupply post to meet the squad you'll be leading tomorrow. But that's tomorrow, heal that shoulder and visit the temple bath. When you're done meet me in the village." He starts to walk away, but before he does he says. "And please, find something nice to wear."

After finishing my bath I look through my closet, trying to find something suitable to wear. I finally decide on a black pair of breeches and a long sleeve white shirt with a black tailored coat that Sir Richard got me for my fifteenth birthday. I put on my good pair of leather boots and head to the village.

As I approach the village, I notice how different it feels. It feels like there's a lot more energy, there are lights everywhere, but not as many as were in the town square, it was ablaze with lanterns and lights. There were people everywhere, it seemed like the entire village was in the time square, but I couldn't understand why.

Before I can react someone grabs me from behind and drags me on the town square's stage. I look up and see Sir Richard grinning wildly at me, he puts his arm around my neck and announces to the entire village.

"As many of you already know, It's Christain's birthday and we all know he's going to leave tomorrow morning." He pauses and looks at me "So that means that we're going to make the most of the time we have."

The village roared its approval and with it came music and dancing and before I could even get off the stage a group of quaintly dress girls flocked me asking for a dance. Before I could respond to any of them, some small, but strong arms dragged me away.

I looked at Aliece, she smiled and said. "You can dance with any girl you want tonight, but I get the first dance." I laughed aloud and let Aliece dance with me until she was satisfied. Then with any girl that asked, as you could imagine, it took a long time.

Eventually, Sir Richard would call for everyone's attention, then he called me up to the platform.

When I looked at him with questioning eyes, he said nothing, he just picked up his personal sword, the one that he used when he fought and said.

"Christian, you have trained faithfully under me since you were a child. You have displayed persistence and courage that would make any teacher proud. You showed great strength and virtue tackling everything I've thrown at you without fail and I'm proud to be able to tell you that I have nothing more to teach you."

I look at him with tears glistening in my eyes, this made it worth it. This makes everything I've gone through worth the trouble and effort. He continued.

"Christian I ask that you would kneel, please." I dropped slowly and kneeled before him. "Do you swear to always put the people's lives before your own?"

"I do," I swore.

"Do you swear to follow god and further his kingdom all of your days?"

"I do," I swore.

"Do you swear to always to live righteously and only take life when there is no other option?"

"I do," I swore, truly meaning it.

He tapped my left shoulder, then my right, then said.

"Please rise, Paladin Knight Sir Christain."

I rose with glistening eyes, Sir Richard extended his most prized possession, his sword. I tried to deny it, I was about to tell him I'm unable to accept such a gift. He looked sternly into my eyes, knowing what I was about to say.

"This is proof of your knighthood Christian, please accept it, I'm not able to use it like I used to anyway.

I accepted carefully, holding it as delicately as I would a holy relic and sheathed it.

Alice came forward next holding a dagger in an elegantly crafted casing. She presented it to me and said.

"This is a dagger that my comrade gave to me when he was alive, he wanted me to keep it as a memento from him. I know better than anyone that he would rather it be used to slay some demons than collect dust for a couple more centuries. Its made of mithril, just like Sir Richards sword, it will keep its sharpness for a long time without needing maintenance. Please accept this as well.

I accept her gift, overwhelmed with happiness. "Thank you Aliece, I will treasure it forever."

She didn't stop with that. "I have one last gift for you, actually it's really just a gift for me. I want to give you a wisp, its a creature made of mana that can produce and controls light. It's already bound to me, so when I bind it to you I will know what your condition is no matter where you are. It's just a way to keep me from being worried that you died."

I smile slightly at this, it's a good thing, otherwise, she would worry herself into a frenzy and try and come find me.

She floated closer to me motioning for me to extend my hand, I gave her my left hand and she touched it with hers and said. "Lǡuiët fэnia luitǻ (all control [Spirit Bind]), after she said this a pink flame appeared on my left hand.

"Since its comprised of mana, it can be stored in your hand and be summoned with a thought."

I tried it, I willed the small pink flame to go into my hand, and it disappeared. When I willed it to appear, it did. I smiled gratefully and thanked Aliece from the bottom of my heart.

Sir Richard spoke up. "So now we party lets enjoy what time we have left with Christian. Drinks for everyone." The crowd roared at the promise of free drinks and I spent my last night as a squire dancing with Aliece and laughing with Sir Richard. Relishing in the memories of all that they have given to me, I promised to repay their kindness someday.