Chloe could feel herself begin to shake. The moment was coming soon. All their preparation was leading to this final battle. Even now she could see the Paladin's Titles. The truth of his nature, pretending to help but truly being the cause. A gentle hand laid upon her much smaller one.
"We'll win," the Handler smiled with a sweet confidence.
The High Priest raised his voice, "Kneel and place your hand on this tomb. Let the light of the One make your Titles known."
With all the confidence in the world Paladin Johannes kneeled. Like Mask he had his own tool to change how his Titles looked to the world. Only a greater power could break through it, and a city the size of Toren would never have one. While true, Chloe knew that the city didn't need one. They had her, and more importantly, Mask.
Light lit up the temple as the Paladin's Title's formed above the tablet and altar. The golden light however quickly turned dark, marred by the truth. A gasp of shock echoed throughout the temple and beyond as the Titles that showed could only belong to the most heinous criminal. Johannes, who had been smiling, froze. His hand snapped back, ending the magic.
"What slander is this!" he roared, everyone confused.
Before it could grow any louder the High Priest raised his hands, "Silence all of you. This can only be the work of a curse, an illusion to trick us all." His words were right on point, the culprit Mask who sat in the second row. A cold sweat however had run down Johannes' back, as the Titles that were displayed were the truth, and in this room only he should know that.
The High Priest continued, "There is a simple way we can solve this. Paladin Johannes, though it may be rude, I ask you strip yourself and wear our ceremonial garments. They have been blessed by the One and will cleanse you of nothing but the truth." The crowd began to relax, knowing that there was a solution to the anxiety. "You will need to remove any jewellery, or enchanted equipment you may have. Do not worry, we promise to take good care of it, as you have us." The trap had been laid. There was no need to steal or find whatever hid the Paladin's true nature. All that was needed was to force him into a situation where he removed it himself, or faced the consequences.
"Of course," Johannes smiled, showing the friendly and peaceful expression the people had grown accustomed to. He began with his sword, lifting it off his belt and in that moment, in a flash the sword was drawn, its aim, the High Priest's neck. The Paladin had made his decision. The blade however was blocked and a metallic snap rung all through the temple.
"Finally showing yourself are you?" Articus, the Lord's Knight blocked his sword with his own. The older man, in full armour grinned beneath his helmet. His revenge would start now.
"Tch," Johannes spat, annoyed. He realised he had been trapped, the solution now was to remove all witnesses. Even if that meant the entire city. "You think I won't kill you all? Just try to protect everyone here!" The Paladin raised his sword. The firm metal crackled with Aura and energy. The wide swing would decimate half the temple.
A single arm however grabbed onto him, "You're coming with me." Master Lanton gripped him tightly and revealed the gem postured between his teeth. The Paladin tried to swing, only for Articus to grip his other side. Grinning, Master Lanton bit down and the three vanished.
Chloe whose heart had been hammering, gulped, "It starts for real now doesn't it?"
The Handler nodded as she hefted a large bag beside her, "Let's go."
Below on the ground floor Mask caught Chloe's gaze and smiled. With a wave, he vanished. Shortly after the temple and the people broke into chaos.
**
The plaza in front of the Adventurer's Guild was empty. Nearly the entire populace had moved to the Temple grounds and the surrounding space lured by the ceremony and the celebration that was meant to follow. The result was an eerie quiet as three men appeared from nowhere and slammed into the ground just outside the Guild.
"Enough!" Paladin Johannes roared and expelled a vehement energy from his body, forcing Master Lanton and Articus away. He looked around, quickly gaging his situation.
Master Lanton removed his cloak, revealing the armour beneath. He spat broken shards from his mouth, "And I swore myself to never use one of those again."
Johannes snickered, "A teleportation crystal. The last time was when you ran after having your arm cut off wasn't it?"
"Yeah," the Guild Master didn't fall for his petty attempts to goad him. "Now that I've climbed that pit however, I swore to never fall again."
"You won't have the chance to, after all I'll kill you this day," the Paladin laughed and gestured broadly. "Do you really think you can stop me? I'll slaughter everyone I damn need to. You could have just played the fool but no, you had to out me."
Articus stood firm beside the Guild Master, "The people of Toren have their own will. They will not be swayed any longer by your underhanded tricks."
Johannes smirked, "You'll regret your choices today. For me however, I've always enjoyed the sight of suffering. Toren will be gone from the map soon enough. I guess I'll start with you." In a flash he jumped forward and swung his sword which spiralled with green energy. Articus reacted quickly. As the blade fell he matched it with his own pulling the blow away and twisting it back. The violent rush of force that erupted broke through the plaza fountain, spilling water onto the stone. Johannes scowled as his body was forced to follow Articus' flow. It's destination, Master Lanton who had already swung his sword. It was a situation any expert would fall to, but for a Master it was simply a setback. With sheer power, Johannes broke away from Articus and met Master Lanton head on. The Guild Master's blade collided once doing little, only to pull back immediately. Even Johannes was surprised however at the speed and force it returned. It was the power of a realised Master. He threw everything he had into defence, narrowly dodging the cut to his neck and instead took the blow on his armour.
Barely a second had passed in that one interaction and the Paladin was sent skidding across the stone, peeling apart the ground.
He spat blood, "You've recovered."
"You could say that," Master Lanton huffed. "Turns out pairs don't have to happen at the same time."
"It won't be enough. Neither of you will," the Paladin dug into his pocket and pulled a vial of liquid. As he did, Articus leapt forwards and thrust. A shot of pale blue light burst from the tip of his sword forcing the Paladin to defend himself. The brief moment allowed Master Lanton close in.
"You think we'll let you chug potions!" the Guild Master laughed and swung his sword.
The Paladin was no idiot and researched the two famous men of Toren before. Articus was an Expert and though his swordsmanship was praised highly, no Expert could ordinarily defeat a Master. As for Lanton, the way he fought was vastly different to anything reported. He was forced to grit his teeth as a flurry of blows came through. The first weaker, with the second blow powerful enough to tear sound apart. The moment the Paladin could react however Articus would intervene, perfectly complimenting the time needed for the Guild Master to recover his posture. Then the pattern would change. Two weak blows followed by two strong. A strong swing followed by two weak, only for the next to be powerful enough to lift him off his feet. The supposed pairings were a mess only the Guild Master knew. Like that he was pushed about the Plaza, unable to even drink the vial in his hand.
"Enough!" Johannes roared again. The rage building inside him had reached another level. With pure force he swung down, not bothering to even aim to either of his opponents. The burst of power forced the Guild Master and Knight to retreat as the stone beneath the Paladin's feet broke towards them like tiny bullets. Finally he drank his potion. The wounds so far fading to nothing.
"Tch," Articus lifted his helmet and spat. "Force. A brutal attribute if I had ever seen one."
"Agreed," Master Lanton grimaced as he picked a bit of stone chunk from his side. "This would be a lot easier with another arm. Still, beats being a psychopath."
Johannes scowled in reply, "A half-baked Master and a man who can't even be one. The both of you have no right to say anything."
Articus huffed, raising his sword, "Still, I'd rather not be a Master than become like yourself. Your swordsmanship is barely passible even at the Expert level. It's clear you have been relying far too much on your attribute."
The Paladin laughed as if a crazed spirit had possessed him, "I wonder how long it has been since anyone dared to speak to me like that? I'll show you just what a proper Master can do!"
Again the stone beneath his feet shattered as the Paladin launched himself forward. In the blink of an eye he had crossed the distance to Articus. The knight however had never dropped his guard. The flame of challenge that had burnt through his soul lit brighter. Under the pressure of the Paladin's attribute, the older man could feel even his organs under duress. The feeling of being gripped and compressed tingled across his entire body, and more still, the sensation that emanated from the Paladin's sword was on another level. Regardless Articus did not retreat. He was one who failed to become a Master, one who failed to find his attribute, but that did not mean he ever gave up. Instead he focused on a new path. To reach the peak of Martial Arts. Not just the sword. Not just the three major Styles but everything. It was time to prove his worth. To avenge his fallen Lords who had been swept up in their plans.
Articus' voice broke out in a tumultuous roar. He dug his feet into the ground. The tip of his blade touched the Paladin's. Flow, which studied the control of one's Aura, to bend and manipulate another's. Flare, to surprise the enemy, to control the fight to your favour. Strike, to end everything through one movement, to be efficient and deadly. He applied all three and more as his sword threatened to break from the turbulent energy forced inside it. As the Paladin's blade which spiralled with green energy released its power, Articus released his. Unlike the Paladin who had only studied Strike, Articus' every slight move would dictate his life. The angle of his strike as he turned his body. The balance of weight in his feet. The flow of Aura along his muscles. No person could truly fathom what was happening in the brief collision. The result however was clear.
The Paladin's blade was led astray. Millimetre by millimetre. The strike that should have not just cleaved but crushed was deflected upwards to the sky. The air above them shattered. Then came the next step. Articus released his blade and thrust his hands forward. All the pent up energy within him released and penetrated the Paladin's body.
"Gragh," Johannes coughed, beyond surprised. Though the strike barely moved him. His insides rippled with pain. Then came the sweeping sword from behind him. He barely had time to dodge as the hair on his head shaved away.
Master Lanton stood by Articus, "One more!"
"I know," the Knight grit his teeth.
"Together!" the two joined hands only for the Guild Master to purposefully slip to the ground. His legs curled towards his body, feet aimed towards the still recovering Paladin. "Get out of our city." He released his kick. Two legs and two men working together. The eruption carried the Paladin up and into the sky, flying far off into the distance.
The two watched Johannes sail away.
"You saved me," Articus breathed out, energy drained and muscles shaking.
"Only because you saved me first. If he had chosen me as his target, I wouldn't have been able to defend," Master Lanton chuckled. "I was hoping the two of us could deal with him here, but I guess we just follow the plan. Do you think we tired him out enough?"
Articus sat on the spot, "We can only hope so. The rest is up to them. It also looks like we were just on time." From the corners of the plaza, noise of their fight had drawn attention as the people of Toren peeked towards them. "Out there, he'll be able to fight without worry."
The Guild Master sighed, "He better come back alive."