“Southshore is fighting back, and they’re fighting for you.” Tabitha said.

“F… for me?” Celeste’s eyes nervously darted around at the crowd.

“The cultists have all been demanding to know where you are, attacking anyone who got in their way.” Tabitha explained. “And well, Southshore sure aren’t going to give up one of our own like that.” Tabitha bit her lip and shook her head.

“We should get going.” Kriss cut in, his head constantly turning, looking for threats. Gardinal nodded his agreement, and with no more debate, they set out.

They proved a more intimidating force this time, a fact Gardinal whispered a quick prayer over. Ethinia had blessed them with allies this day, and it was a blessing he would give thanks for until his dying day. Taking up the vanguard, Gardinal marched with Kriss and Rekiak beside him. The largest of the Silver Skulls kept the rear at his command, an order validated by Tabitha thankfully. It seemed the slum lord at least knew when to defer to reason when it mattered most. Vallerian, Tabitha, the handmaidens, and any of the crossbow wielding Silver Skull’s surrounded Celeste, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. All together it proved a practical, and safe formation. Gardinal nodded to himself, this was a force that could get her to safety. He had never thought he’d be glad to have Tabitha around.

As they moved slowly among the dark, packed dirt streets, Gardinal eyed Kriss next to him. There was something the boy had said to Tabitha earlier that kept rising in his mind.

“Lad.” Gardinal broached. “What was that about the Red Curtains? I didn’t take you for the… worldly type.” Gardinal had thought well of the boy, but despite any virtues he might have, Gardinal would not have a lecherous sinner corrupting the girl.

Kriss looked at Gardinal and blinked before shaking his head. “What? Oh, no, nothing like that Brother Gardinal.” Kriss hastily began to explain, a blush growing on his face bright enough to see in the dark. “Some of those girls I grew up with, knew them since… since even before Celeste left. A few of the older ones even raised me like their own. I have a good many friends still who work those houses, and I can’t… I don’t know what I would do if they got hurt.”

Gardinal nodded in understanding. That certainly made more sense than him being a whoremonger.

The rest of their march was marked by the familiar tense quiet of soldiers expecting a battle. The thud of dozens of feet would likely be heard a street over in this still night, but no word passed among them. In the shaded lands, the men had learnt quickly to hold their tongue’s when enemies were about. It seemed these women knew those same rules of war.

Passing a small closed up inn that he knew —The Blessed Man it was called— Gardinal felt some hope. He knew this place, and he knew that around the corner would be the final stretch to the temple. The temple and safety.

Increasing their pace, Gardinal rounded the corner and came to a halt. Far down the road, he could see the white walls and gilded gate of the temple, but it was what stretched between that gave him pause. Turning to look back at him, dozens of cultists and daemons stood, the heretics’ numbers more than matching their own. The daemons were made up of both hounds and the larger man-shaped abominations, at least a dozen of the former and four of the latter towering over the group. Gardinal spat out a low Khazimi curse. Of course, if they were looking for The Prophetess then it was likely that every path to the temple was filled like this.

From the crowd, a single figure stepped forward, pulling back his hood. It was a woman, Fereni, and paler than some corpses Gardinal had seen. Her hair was disheveled, a dry pale grey that seemed older than her years. She seemed to look past Gardinal, look past him right to Her Radiance.

“You have brought the girl child to us.” The heathenish woman spoke. “Give her up and perhaps X shall be merciful.”

Gardinal gripped his hammer with white knuckles and spat back at her.

“The only Mercy I know…” Gardinal growled back. “…is that of the First Mother.” Glancing to Kriss, they both nodded. They were going to have to fight through the crowd, but it didn’t have to be a fight to the death. All they needed was to get Her Radiance through those gates, and into the temple. That was all. No matter the cost.

“So be it.” The cultist woman hissed, pulling up her sleeve and stabbing a dagger into her flesh. The blood began to float up into the air and shape into a crimson sphere.

“BEHIND ME!” Gardinal shouted, lifting his shield and rushing ahead of their group. He could not see the woman as he barreled toward her, but as a powerful blast struck his shield, it was all Gardinal could do not to be knocked over. Flame wrapped around the shield’s edges for a long moment, singing his arms with its burning tongues. He’d faced worse. Once the force had subsided, he continued his charge.

Looking over his shield, he could make out the woman’s startled expression just as he closed the gap. With a thud of his shield, she was knocked skittering across the earth with a screech of pain. Through the whirling dust Gardinal saw the sickly woman’s limbs bent back beneath her, bones jutting from her flesh. Her chest, however, still rose and fell with a steady rhythm. The woman was not dead, not yet, but she wouldn’t be proving much more of a problem. Not unless she explodes, he thought. He’d have to deal with that if it came to it.

Standing tall, Gardinal looked over his enemies, and felt their gaze burrowing back into him. He would slaughter them all if it would save Her Radiance. With a roar daemons and cultists rushed toward him, fangs, claws, crossbows, and knives ready and aimed at his flesh. Gardinal lowered his stance, squaring himself in preparation for the onslaught. Gritting his teeth, Gardinal held his shield before him and roared back at them. Roared, and was overtaken as the Faith Militia, Silver Skulls, and remaining Korek shot past him, meeting the attackers’ toe to toe.