Making War and Peace.

Record of the training hall.

Official Scribe: Thomas I

Month: 7 Day 13 Year 427

Attackers: Fellowship of the Paladin

Defender: Dread-War Golem.

Grimalkin lept back, dodging the golem’s opening barrage of punches. For its size it was quite fast, forcing him back behind Themis. Themis, however, was ready; bracing both arms in front of them, she weathered the blows from the Golem as it automatically focused on her after landing the first hit. Pummeling her arms, the Golem; lacking any form of stamina limit and kept at it.

“I could use some help here guys! My arms can take it but it’s taking all my strength not to fall to my knees!” she screamed at her allies, gritting her teeth as she steeled herself against the onslaught.

The Paladin ran up behind Themis as Grimalkin ran around the side of him. Still distracted by hammering down on the xeshieen, the Paladin is of no consequence to it when he touches the back of the beastman. “MOTHER BIRD!” He cried out, activating his skill. There was a small pinkish aura around Themis as she appeared to regain strength, pushing back against the punches. Eventually, after a particularly heavy barrage when the golem slowed to reset, she caught the first punch, gripping one of the heavy metal Golem’s fingers and tugging it forward, causing the Golem to tumble.

Grimalkin finds himself in the perfect position, leaping from a pillar behind the Golem. However, landing on its purple and black metallic body he can’t find any easy grip. Sliding down the side, he finds one of the rivets on the back, pushing himself back up. He starts climbing after the head, dagger in mouth, ready to free the control crystal from its socket.

Napoleon sits in the corner on a pillow, cross-legged with a drink in hand. “HAHA! Rodeo that steer boyo! You can do it!” The old balding man was about falling backward with laughter, an orange aura still around him so his ‘Battlefield Promotion’ was still active.

Wrapping his arms around the pointed head of the Golem, Grimalkin started searching for the control on the bottom of its floating head. After stripping many of the control chords allowing the golem to move, Grimalkin was bucked off. The Paladin threw his three-part practice pole, the feline catches it midair, tugging forward and falling into his Paladin’s arms.

Upon seeing his rescue Themis bounds inward, jumping and running up the Golem’s arm. Climbing up ten feet off the ground she began pulling and tugging with all of her might. After a loud birdlike screech emitted from the Golem’s core it collapsed on the spot, animate no longer.

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Themis’ Undercover Log.

Entry #2

The two boys performed magnificently together. I had worried that the Paladin would charge off, allowing his flanker to be targeted but he prioritized his targets quite well. Filling the role of battlefield motivator and support, I would value him higher than a medic; his ability to restore the strength of others is outstanding. During the barrage from the dark machine, blows hit my body with enough force it felt like I was out of breath, unable to catch a moment to breathe until the Paladin’s touch felt like it took breath for me.

‘Mother Bird’ is a strange name for a warrior’s ability. Grimalkin’s guess may be proven true; there is no way that was not a healer ability. I am glad I found him before taking any action; I plan to confront the Paladin and possibly the whole party, save for the obvious plant of a priest.

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Record of the training hall.

Official Scribe: Thomas I

Month: 7 Day 14 Year 427

Attacker: Viscera Marionettes

Defender: Fellowship of the Paladin

Target: Paladin Napoleon.

Twelve animated puppets, dripping blood from between their cracks advanced slowly, hovering off of the ground with their legs unmoving. The scene was not unlike looking at a puppet show where the strings held the puppets just slightly off the ground, where the legs just dangle. With a loud crackling noise, they surge toward the party.

Napoleon had a red aura around his body, lightly pulsating when it first appeared it had flashed around the three party members as well. This is the ability ‘Battlefield General’, which allows those affected to communicate telepathically and receive information from each other’s senses. All of this was at the cost of a percentage of adrenaline from those affected, helping to keep a cool head under pressure as well.

The xeshieen looked uncomfortable under the effect, the game animal relying heavily on its adrenaline. Still, she leaped forward, Grimalkin flanking her left as Paladin flanked her right. The first to connect was Themis, her claws extended; with one swing her strength devastated two of the puppets before they could react.

The paladin pressed the three segments of his staff together, turning them to lock them in place he began spinning it. A black and red aura bubbling around him spread around his pole as he slammed it into the head of one of the marionettes. The Paladin grunted in pain as the bleeding doll fell. He then jabbed it back without looking, slamming his pole into the back of a doll rushing at Grimalkin as he readied his bow. With a mighty shout, the Paladin announced “PAIN VAMPIRE!”

The almost friendly poke against the fourth marionette caused it to fall over unconscious. The Paladin proudly displaying his own tenacity by taking on the pain of his own attack and giving it to another opponent. Without harming the second foe's body in the least, they pass out from shock.

Grimalkin knocks three arrows in his short bow, aiming horizontally and jumping back, he fires at three of the oncoming nightmare creatures. Releasing a feather from his grip it disintegrates on the ground “Piercing WIND!” three of the marionettes fall, their heads shattered by the heavy stone arrowheads and wind magic used to dispatch them.

Just then, the tone of the remaining Viscera Marionettes changed. They started laughing, their voices little children, all calling for their mothers, fathers, sisters… it went on, all of them begging to be saved. More marionettes showed behind them, the seven that had been destroyed were now resurrected, ready to strike again with all of their kin.

The Paladin jumped back, far back, Grimalkin and Themis doing the same, forming a close circle around Napoleon as he then slammed his sheathed sword on the ground, declaring. “Battlefield Promotion!” The Orange aura swelled around the four of them, the two abilities of Napoleon the Swift merging. The long-range communication; changing to allow them thought to thought as well as image communication.

Slowly, after Themis, the other two’s eyes shot open, whatever thoughts they had shared with one another was enough to power through the waking horror of the nightmare monsters.

With the marionettes still screaming to be saved in the voices of children, and now the elderly, and then voices from all walks, blades sprung out of their disjointed mouths. A large hooked pincer-like blade coming from each side.

Undaunted, the three warriors stand around their master, Paladin putting a hand on both of his allies on the front line. Grimalkin pulling out a set of rings with thin, strong string attached to them. Flinging his hands forward ten daggers danced from his hands, four of them landing, two of them incapacitating the Marionettes hit.

However, that was not the end of his attack. Yanking his hands backward, the knives came with them, attached to the rings by the thin string. Crashing the four injured marionettes into six of their compatriots and slamming them to the ground, the Paladin lifts his hand from his ally's shoulder, separating his pole as Themis again slammed her hands into two marionettes. However, this time they did not disintegrate. The xeshieen was not using her full strength as she threw the two into the pile of their allies.

The puppets rose that could still move, a creaking sound as more blood Leaked from their bodies. Chunks of meat falling, their fingers now opened, revealing blades between their digits. “Mommy, no… Daddy noo…” the voices changed, reflecting accusatory tones as if they were being struck.

Grimalkin balked; his eyes growing wide as saucers, a silent scream emanating from his lips. Curling into the fetal position as the monsters laughed. Napoleon's skills both jumped away from him as if touched by fire. The Paladin attached a cable to his separated pole, laying it around the monsters, imbuing it with his black and red aura. When a Marionette tried to escape it was rendered unconscious, falling back inside of the circle.

The Paladin rushed to his friend, clutching him close he held his hands to Grimalkins head as the feline could not move, his voice gone. Soon the Paladin began screaming, holding on to his friend as long as he could. The screams got louder and more shrill as Themis used the time they were trapped to try and search for whatever puppet master must be controlling them.

At nearly the same time my own eyes sadly unable to tell which was first. The Paladin fell over, their voice failing them as Grimalkin rose once-more. The Aura of Napoleon the swift wrapping itself around his body again. Themis had also found a single pair of hands dangling out of a shadow, controlling the puppets. It was only hands; when Themis tried to pull them out of the shadow they were in, they dissolved into blood and intestines in her hands.

Three of the puppets go limp, never to rise again. The other nine still screaming as Grimalkin bounds around the sides of the arena, reinvigorated. Finding the other three sets of hands before the Marionettes can break free from whatever imprisonment spell the Paladin had used. When the final set of hands had been found and taken out, all twelve of the puppets turned to sawdust, slowly blowing away.

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Themis and Napoleon helped me to the med room; Charlemagne was still out with the food wagon and would not be back until dark. Grimalkin, however, needed some time alone. I had been in his head… or not? It was hard to describe.

Ten minutes ago:

I’m not ashamed to say I was crying, worried about my friend. He’d impressively shattered the wood with his arrows, all three finding their mark, he was amazing! “Please, let me be strong for you… let me be strong with you.” was all I could whisper over my crumpled ally, a quote from my mother. As she would sit with patients in the ER, waiting for whatever needed waiting for, cradling her fragile patient in her arms if she had to while they had a single moment in their lives to let out the pain.

It took a while for my words to reach him …. Minutes? Seconds? Who knows, adrenaline was filling my brain as creatures that made thriller movies look like the bubbletellies children's show were in the middle of the room held by an ability I was not too sure how I had made.

“Please… help,” was all he could mutter, and I activated my pain vampire. My mind flooded with indiscriminate screeching, pain, fear, hatred, love, none of it made sense. The tears flowed as waves of emotions with no name flooded over me. No memories, just raw emotion. It was there, with my hand on my friends back and no words between us we shared a moment, he was at his strongest, yet he felt at his weakest. Emotional turmoil I had no frame of reference to even conceive how it was made flooded us both. Soon, not even before I was halfway through sharing the pain, Grimalkin stood.

“That’s enough; you’re not the only resilient one around here.” I didn’t need to guess, I knew the hell going on in that man’s skull, blame for actions that never happened, guilt for never acting on events they never saw. “Thanks for the shoulder; the memories are heavy and hard to carry.”

“Give em hell,” was all I could muster as I ordered my skill ‘Mother Bird’ to strengthen his body once-more. If I had any strength left in me, I didn’t feel it.

After that I had blacked out, remembering the tail end but honestly, the rest of the battle required me reading the match notes from the scribe for me to place anything. My ability was still in full effect, it hadn’t got any easier, but I’ve gotten used to it… “Manual, when will this kind of, ehem ‘pain’ cease for me?”

Answer: Emotional pain will be relieved from the caster or the cursed when the pain would cease naturally from the person it was taken from. Hunger and other such kinds of pain will abate and not return when the hunger ceases for the first time after activation.

A good enough answer I supposed… I didn’t see Grimalkin until the next day.

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I wish I could do something, but with no magic even as a kobold, I’m useless to my husband. Only three in ten kobolds are born without any innate magical power in their bones due to their connection with dragons… Just how unlucky could I get? Then I meet this wonderful man. He stood in front of three guards, only wearing a worn-out shirt and pants with a broken wooden stick.

That man got beat that day for what he did. I had stolen a tin of small fish, just something to get me through the week. It couldn’t have cost more than two copper. Even still, I had stolen it from inside of the walls; it would be my horns on the wall if the guards had caught up to me that day. He delayed them long enough for me to escape well into the clay city.

I came back later that day when I was sure the guards had left to check on him. He looked up at me with a goofy smile and a thumbs up… I haven’t been able to leave him since. He treats me so well, and he has children that I love with all of my being.

I just wish I could help him.

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Themis met me outside of my room. “Hey hero, it’s been a pleasure training with ya, but do you care to fill me in on why we went through the hell of the last two days?”

I suppose it’s time to let her in, she’d been training like crazy with the three of us lately under the assumption of ‘group dynamics’ but considering that we leave tonight. “I wasn’t allowed to say until today. But, we have a quest from the city of Thebes to retake it from the mercenary band led by Mountain-Crasher Darrell.”

She blinked, disappointed about something I didn’t say. “Huh, more normal than I was expecting, nothing crazy evil or anything considering its Leere sending you out to do it. Still, how did a Mountain-Crasher get so close with no one hearin bout it?” She laughed deep and hearty at her joke, one of those kinds. Uncaring if anyone else found their quip funny. Fortunately for the both of us, I did.

“Fair, I was half expecting him to ask me to go to war or to track down the Demon Lords head and put it in a bag or something.” She looked at me, head-on, not blinking, and it was kinda weirding me out. “I mean, I’m glad it’s something like this, a flat out rescue mission. This world is just as many shades of gray as my old one and it’s hard to tell who the good guys are exactly.” I let out a small chuckle,

“However, I’m pretty sure Leere is not one the ones on my side, people like him who act too happy to see you when you’ve never met… Those people are just too suspicious for me to trust, plus, it’s kinda hard to miss an eight-story centaur, and no one has backed the claim.” This time, she laughed at me, slapping my back harder than it’s ever been whacked before and making me jump a good three feet forward, hitting my face into a wall.

“Yikes, sorry, I’m normally with folks a bit heavier, that don’t fly across the room like that”. She smiled, a laugh in her upbeat voice.

“Ha ha, just don’t do that to anybody other than me and the old man, I don’t want you breaking anyone that’s breakable. Anyway, that’s not the whole plan”. Leaning back against the wall I checked to make sure no one was in the hallway listening in. “You know that the trials are still going even though we have you, right.”

She nodded at me and I continued, “We had Leere sign a Paladin’s contract. He won’t break it; you need to know that going in. If he breaks his word he would lose all backing from the moderates and would lose his Governorship over the city.”

Instead of asking questions as I expected, she just nodded along, as if I was stating the obvious. “Anyway, Napoleon came up with this plan for us to give out food during the auditions. And then I agreed so that was ratified, later, when dealing with just his bureaucrats I informed them it would be the smartest if this was an infiltration. This means we would need a distraction, and we already had one. The auditions would be proof that the Paladin was still in the Green city. Because it’s holy law to never write down a description or draw an image of the Paladin I didn’t have to worry about people knowing that the me in charge of judging was fake. It also came with the fun little benefit of being a legendary hero that no one would recognize even if I was right in front of them.”

“Okay, I think I get it, but why would you keep the food bank open this long? It’s leaching money.” She said it plainly, without regard for other life… it made me mad.

“Why wouldn’t I? These people are hungry and this city has abandoned them, using the largest feat of humanitarianism this country has likely EVER seen seemed like a no brainer.” A growl was in my voice this time.

“Woah there little predator, I didn’t mean anything by it.” She held up both of her hands, thick leathery pawpads showing.

“Good, now before we do anything, know that we’re leaving today and the first thing on my list is checking in on my friend,” I said.

She did a faux military salute and walked with me, wearing a large red shirt she had gotten from the garrison closet, and a cream-colored pair of pants. It didn’t have giant high boots but the legs were cut short, so the whole attire looked kind of like an old British military uniform from their days as an empire.

We walked in silence to the second floor of the building where Grimalkin's hospital room was. He had just been staying in Napoleon’s house down in the garden, but after the events of yesterday coming from an army barracks, he was asked to stay overnight for observation in a private room.

I opened the door, “Knock Knock, comin in.” I was already walking in by the time I said it and Grimalkin looked up, a smile on his face when he saw me at the door. He was sitting on the bed, fully dressed in a stunning three-piece suit and ready to go, knowing full well what today was.

“I was waiting, you know? The damnable nurses won’t let me leave without someone willing to watch over me or something.” He smirked, grabbing a bag and jumping off the bed, doing a full front-flip in the air just to show off. Themis gave a pitiable half-hearted cheer just to get under his skin a little.

“Trying to woo the girl with your acrobatics kitten?” Themis teased, turning around and closing the door with her tail as she left, leaving Grimalkin and me in the room alone for a moment.

“Hey, be careful what you say, my mom was a nurse,” I chided him, sitting back on the bed while he stood this time.

“Is that so? Mine was a rat-catcher, she made good change when she got a few extra, the shady vendors would pay her a copper for five… not caring if it took two hours to find maybe three of them in the overhunted streets.” Clearly, some look on my face gave away that he’d just said something wildly out of nowhere.

Continuing, “I’m sorry, I’ve kind of been stuck in the past for a bit since I woke up, and it’s a bit difficult making sure it doesn’t slip out.” I pulled him into my arms, giving him the biggest bear hug I could without hurting him.

“Don’t be sorry, I felt it, I’ve had something similar before. For a few months, I was prone to them, anything could have brought on my memories and then it was impossible to stay in the present. Whatever caused it, you don’t have to tell me until you’re ready to, I just ask for the same.” I look past him, giving him the benefit of having no eyes on him. He is able to unleash the torrent of emotions, screaming, crying, or completely silent, I will not say, that is his business. I merely bring it up saying that any of the responses are understandable.

Wiping his face from the runny nose with his sleeve he looks at me, a glass-half-full smile greeting me. “From what my mom used to say, ‘Only the ones worth their salt will have stories like that. Don’t trust a soul with no battle-scars’”

“About that, what’s this deal with what Charlemagne calls you, what the hell is his problem?” I shout; after all, the room is soundproof, for the privacy of the army patients.

He looked dejected, staring at his hands he closed them slowly as if cradling something I could never see. “It started at the founding of the nation, far back in the scriptures… After the last Holy Paladin had given up his role as leader of the Army of the Five People, the human delegation, the least oppressed by the demons and the most commonly educated chose to take the role of restorers. Or so they said. Once the three branches of government, Finances, Faith, and Force were restricted to those with an impressive education, there was no hope for fairness.”

“After the passing of Holy Paladin Cedric, the church declared that he was summoned by listening to the souls of the humans. The desperate souls of the weakest race calling out for a savior, soon, that became accepted fact, which would not have been too bad on its own… However soon, as soon as the next Speaker, they were preaching that the Paladin had refused the cries of the nonhumans. Soon, rumor began to spread through the masses as this was recorded into history as fact. Eventually, the belief grew upon the peoples noble and common that non-humans did not have souls, and were unable to summon the paladin. Wherefore inferior to humans…”

When his tale was over I was stunned, not because it was so out there, not because I didn’t expect something along those lines. I was stunned because of how normal it was, how boring evil really is, it just took three generations to fully demonize an entire population. Anyone could be the next slaughterer of thousands; all it takes is no one stopping them.

“Well, I don’t buy any of that, and I know there’s no way you do.” I stand, offering him my hand up off of the bed, he takes it, tugging quickly he gives me a quick hug and a hard pat on the back.

“Thanks, bossman, but it’s the big day and we have to get going.” He puts a second hand on my back and flips over me, darting out the door; heading to the Blacksmith’s to meet up with Napoleon and Themis.

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“Ya know what Old Man; I like the cut of your cloth. Darting out of here the day we’re set to get these babies is the ballsiest move I could think up yet. You’ve finally earned my respect Old Man.” Themis was as lively as ever, slapping Napoleons back with quite a bit of gusto, she looked happy; this may very well be the first person who’s ever been able to survive her true rambunctious nature.

“If you respect me so much, at least just call me Napoleon, and not ‘Old Man’ it’s demeaning.” He shot off, clearly annoyed at her response to whatever he had said before we came in. “Ah, you’re finally here, Charlemagne has been ordered to come as well, we will have a guard detail continue the handouts. Themis came up with the idea; act like absolutely nothing has changed, inside and out.”

“What do you mean not to call you Old Man? I’ve already got Armor Polish, Prejudice the Plushie, and the Tricky Kitty.” She stood proud, hands on hips, basking in the glory of her clever nicknames while Napoleon, Grimalkin, and I could do nothing but hold our mouths agape.

“A-Armor Polish? What do you mean Armor Polish? It’s not my fault it’s this shiny. Should I like, rub dust on it or something? Is it too shiny? Will it blow our cover?” I ramble on as Themis put her large hand over my mouth to shut me up as the Blacksmith returned.

“Alright, you guys really gave me a rush order, and ta think you’d hand me Dread Metal, that’s somethin.” she held up a leather box, a large wooden case, a long thin wooden box, a small book-sized leather case, and a large suitcase also made out of leather as well. “I’ll tell ya, if we hadn’t figured out a secret that was LOST TO FREAKIN TIME! I don’t think we would have had these ready for you.”

“Thank you Ms. Hephy,” Napoleon bent down and kissed her paw-like hand, much to the dismay of everyone else in the room. “I know it is a bother but, I have another job for you, you may use the rest of the Dread Metal as you see fit during it as well.” he gave her a large pouch of coins under the desk.

“What?! Even more work? Please say I have a reasonable timetable this time.” She looked incredulous as if someone had insulted her pride.

“Unfortunately no my dear, while it will be less strict, the four weapons I have drawn on the cloth on the inside of that bag of coins need to be done by the end of the week. We can count on the resources and patronage no further after that.” He looked at her sadly, “Should we come back successful, however, I am sure whatever ill feelings the Lord-Governor has will have passed, and then, how about a look at the crown of the Dread Emperor himself?”

She was sincerely drooling on her front table, “You got a deal Geezer! Who should I give em too though if you’re going to be out of town?”

“Oh, you see, that’s the best joke I know. Ahem. So, a Slime, a Kobold, a Centaur guardsman, and a champion sumo wrestler walk into a blacksmith's.” He smiled at her as he said it, and before she could ask what the punchline was, he had stood up, motioning for us all to the door.

“Wait, what do you mean, you old coot!? Get back ‘ere!” She yelled after him as he left out the door in front of everyone, laughing as he did.

“Bye sis, See you when we’re back in town.” Grimalkin waved goodbye as we left the building, him bringing up the rear. Outside, Charlemagne stood, waiting patiently.

“I was told my punishment was up Sir Paladin, does that mean I have earned your favor?” He looked up at me, doe-eyed and innocent, but I knew not to fall for it now.

“Sure, we’re good for now, we even got you a present for the special occasion, now, to the class, I would like you to tell us what you have learned.” I opened my arms wide; making sure to give him one last good ole’ dose of embarrassment to associate with his actions.

“I would uhm, prefer to tell you all at the barracks, in secret, what I say might get me in trouble.” He kicked a rock, looking to his left and right with a speed that would make meerkats jealous.

“I can fix that!” Napoleon activated his ability, red aura coursing from his form, Battlefield General encompassing the six of them... Think it, and we will hear.

I think that the other races might have souls. He was still looking left or right, the mere thought in his head making him fear for his life from his own organization…

“Well no shit; ya racist creampuff gettin’ ate by a frog.” And just as the words left Themis’ mouth, we all saw what she was talking about, and it could not be truer.