Knights of the Holy Mother – 13 [❤️]

You stand at attention, struggling not to shift in place nervously. Anxiety rolls off everyone in the neat lines, occasionally spiking whenever the massive, sword-shaped airship so much as sways. Blades stand at the front, with Knights behind them, and the squires behind them.

You are April, and you really, really don’t wanna be here.

Yeah, you didn’t want to be with the Holy Knights because of all the icky holy energy.

Or on the battlefield, killing all sorts of gross demons.

But at least then, you could spend some time shipping your favorite little couples. You got like, eight couples to promise they’d marry each other when all the fighting was over. And only two of them turned out to be death flags! No luck on ‘Grounded Spark x Sprocket’ front, though…

Anyways, after the Holy Knights airships arrived at Weeping Mountain, they started off by unloading a crapload of holy energy onto the horde. They got rid of a lot of the weaker demons and pulled away some of the big guys assaulting the mountain. Then, they sent down the Knights, Blades, Squires, and even some normal guys outfitted with holy arcanomech made from spare parts.

You were halfway up the mountain when it fucking exploded.

Turns out the leader of the knight order in charge of the mountain used the relic to collapse the tunnels under the mountain. Which apparently ran through most of southern Prillia. So now, there are a bunch of new valleys and areas that have straight up collapsed, all because a dwarf fisted a mountain too hard.

After the demons retreated and rescue efforts were over, you spent too much time playing matchmaker in the infirmary and missed seeing your siblings! Not only did you miss your chance for some sexy family bonding, you’re stuck in the rank and file as the biggest anti-demon powers in Prillia hover down from the Excalibur.

Because despite this whooooole mess, none of you were supposed to be here.

Six figures in fancy colored armor stand as one, the holy energy radiating off their weapons more potent than Lynette after a whole day of prayer. Next to you, Zenwan trembles in excitement as he lists off stats and strategies for each of their characters in the official Paragons tabletop wargame.

Their emotions get clearer as they approach. You keep yourself from squirming as the uncomfortable prickling gets more intense. This is the final test, to see if you can really pass as a human being in front of Prillia’s final line of defense against demons.

It sucks that you’re one of the best squires. You’re standing right behind the Knights, no more than fifteen feet way from the Paragons. You wince.

Paragon Violet is pissed. He hides it well, but Quinns-titty-and-clitty, he’s a hair away from going ballistic.

The others feel different. Green is anxious and distracted. Red and Orange are bored, the former slightly curious in the Knights and the latter just kinda goin’ through the motions. Yellow has a wider emotional depth, shifting between worry for the Holy Knights, sorrow at all the damage done, and a some pride in what you’ve accomplished. You’d probably smile at her if it weren’t for Paragon Blue.

Paragon Blue is interested. In you.

Uh-oh. When you bite your lip, her interest increases.

Does…does she know?

Oh fuck, oh shit, oh crap, oh fuck…

“Relax.” Zellah elbows you. “They’re the head honchos. They’re not here for squires like us.”

Zellah pauses and squints.

“Are you okay? You look a bit pink.”

That would be the holy energy toasting your skin.

“’M fine.” You whisper back. “It’s just the most famous holy group in all of Prillia.”

“Heh, yeah.” Zellah winks. “You must be a little bit starstruck.”

“Blade Ena Valorum!” Violet booms, pulling Blue’s attention away from you.

Irritation spikes from all the other Paragons. That’s odd.

Blade Ena stands straighter and a subtle whiff of smug self-satisfaction rolls off Blade Swiftaxe. Paragon Violet crosses his arms, a thrill of joy growing inside him when everyone holds their breath. You’re starting to not like Paragon Violet. Which is kinda crummy, ‘cause according to Zenwan’s game stats, he’s twice as powerful as the next strongest Paragon.

“You stand accused of leading an unsanctioned mission into Weeping Mountain. You’ve deliberately ignored orders to reinforce your superiors for what can only be a rash and unjustifiable attack to massage your ego! What say you in your defense?”

Wow, the irritation and disgust are rolling off the other Paragons now. Except it isn’t aimed at Ena.

“I admit I disobeyed orders.” Blade Valorum bows her head solemnly. “Only because I deemed we were in a tactically sound position to reinforce our allies. As a result, the demons have been routed and—”

“Enough!” Violet barks. “No more excuses. They fled some other reason, perhaps because they suspected that we, the Paragons, would be arriving.”

Wow, that’s…kinda far-fetched. What’s going on here?

“Excuse me, Ser Violet.” The crowd shuffles uncomfortably as an incredibly attractive man slathered in creamy white sunscreen approaches, as a knight in golden armor follows him with a parasol. “I fear I must interject. Thine Blade did disobey orders, but her actions and that of her brave followers have saved the lives of thousands of dwarves.”

“This is Holy Knight business, vampire.” Paragon Violet spits. “Begone.”

“If I may—”

“Begone, I said!”

Violet slaps the parasol out of the knight’s hand and the vampire crumples to the ground, smoking. The irritation from the Paragons shifts into anger, and Yellow takes out her bow to do something…only for a section of the earth to swivel around and cover the vampire in shade. A dwarf with a silver gauntlet steps out from the newly made tunnel and he salutes. The leader of the local knight chapter and badass who cratered a mountain, Bjorn Silverfist!

“Paragons. I am here to speak on Blade Ena Valorum’s behalf.”

“What part of ‘Holy Knight business’ do you not understand?” Paragon Violet’s voice cracks.

A beat passes in absolute silence. Bjorn helps the vampire knight to his feet as the silence extends over the legion of Holy Knights. Embarrassment, rage, and spite erupt from Paragon Violet and you realize:

This guy’s a vindictive fucking moron!

He’s supposed to be the best. The leader of the Paragons, shining example of the Holy Knights. A good third of everything you learned from the Holy Knights was how awesome all the Paragons are. How this generation’s leader led them to hard-won victory after victory.

Instead, he’s an emotionally unstable manchild. And the other Paragons…they hate this guy! What?!

“Nevertheless…” He clears his throat. “Blade Ena Valorum has disobeyed direct orders. In doing so, she has broken the tenets of Loyalty, Humility, and Temperence. And as for the obfuscation of her crimes, she has also violated the tenet of Integrity. For these reasons, I formally pronounce Blade Ena Valorum excommunicated.”

A loud gasp echoes across the field. Excommunication is more than a dishonorable discharge: it’s a flat-out ban from using any of the Outer God’s facilities and blessings. From now until forever, Ena Valorum can’t go to church, can’t get blessed, she won’t even be able to buy a prayer book.

A wave of despair and helplessness washes over you. Everybody who fought that day knows Ena Valorum was on the front lines, knows that she led the charge and took the brunt of the worst the demons had to offer. She was the spear, the shield, the beacon when it was darkest before the dawn.

And now, she is being thrown away. Zenwan’s mouth is agape, his perception of Violet absolutely shattered, Zellah sets her jaw and grits her teeth, glaring daggers at Violet.

You? You’re thinking.

Ena’s a strong, attractive elf. If she can cut through a two-story tall demon with a single slash, she’ll be fine. But if you stick around…

If you stay with the Holy Knights and end up overshadowing, contradicting, or even annoying Paragon Violet in any way…you’re dead.

You know the type of person you are. You’ve got bratty tendencies. Eventually, he’ll set his eyes on you and hound you until you make a mistake, then kill you and bathe in your ashes. Worse, he’d feel vindicated by your demonic nature.

You’ve learned everything there was to learn about the Holy Knights, and a lot faster than you originally thought due to the severe lack of holy texts. In fact, you’ve got more complete knowledge of their canon than they do.

This excommunication is a blessing in disguise. You can cash out and walk away for completely understandable reasons!

“If she’s leaving, then so am I!” You step forwards and the gaze of thousands land on you.

A powerful emotional swell crashes into you. People look at you with so much admiration, you’d pop a stiffy if you weren’t being bombarded with ambient holy energy. The sexy vampire gives you a smile that makes your heart skip a beat, Silverfist makes a small nod of approval, and the female Paragons beam with satisfaction.

“A squire?” Paragon Violet scoffs. “Why would I care if a single squire—”

“Screw it, so am I!” Zellah steps next to you.

Huh? Wait—

“I stand with Valorum!” Cho Zenwan follows, shaking in his boots.

This is getting a bit out of hand. No biggie, it’s just three squi—

“I stand with Valorum!” A Knight yells.

“I stand with Valorum!” One of the mechanics steps forward.

“I stand with Valorum!” Captain Faithful joins in.

Valorum looks on as more and more people step forward, her mouth slightly parted as a swell of surprise, warmth, and gratitude builds up in her. Her supporters grow from six, to a dozen, to over fifty people within minutes. Nearly all of them are completely devoted to Valorum, though there are a few that can tell that working under Paragon Violet won’t work out.

Violet’s rage grows. After the fourth knight, Saria, yells out in support, Violet claps his hands together. His voice trembles and he’s a hair away from crashing out.

“Fine, fine! You’re all excommunicated!” More shocked gasps echo but he shouts over them. “Keep in mind that your arms, armor, ships, and blessings are the property of the Holy Knights! Anyone else want to get excommunicated?!”

There’s a pregnant pause. Someone takes a breath, ready to step forward.

“Hold.” Ena raises a hand before anyone else to speak. Violet turns his acidic ire at her, but she ignores him.

“I understand that many of you are tempted to join me. We have fought side by side through the greatest battle of our lives. Know that I did not do so out of devotion to the Empyreans, the Outer God, or even my own pride, but out of a need to protect the citizens of Prillia. I originally joined the Holy Knights out of recognition that it would be the most efficient means of doing so. To join me will be to abandon the blessings and support of the Holy Knights, without which we would have surely perished in this battle. Know that if you join me, I will be eternally grateful, though my gratitude and the promise of more difficult battles ahead is all I can offer you. Please, think deeply on whether that is what you really want.”

A quiet more still than the grave falls over everyone.

“Come on, then!” Paragon Violet breaks the silence. “Apparently, excommunication is all the vogue nowadays!”

A beat.

“I-I stand with Ena Valorum!” A timid voice rings from the middle of the crowd.

The other Paragons’ faces pucker in surprise and stupefaction ripples from the center of the legion. Your jaw nearly drops.

“OH, OKAY! ONE MORE TO THE PILE!” Violet finally erupts and swirls around. “ONE MORE EXCOMMUNICATION, FREE…Of…charge…”

The people have cleared the way for her. Her lips tremble and tears threaten to spill from her eyes, but Lynette stands still. Unmoved and as certain as the earth she stands upon. Lynette, one of the Saintess candidates.

“Wait…” Violet holds a hand out, but Lynette shakes her head.

“I’ve made my decision.” Her eyes briefly stray to Zenwan, then return to Violet, surer than ever. “I accept my excommunication.”

Looks like the ‘Zenwan x Lynette’ ship is still going strong.

Things sorta…pitter off after that. Paragon Violet slumps off without another word, the other Paragons watching him stomp off before reluctantly following him back into the Excalibur. After, everyone just kinda dissipates. You’re stuck in the shifting crowd, ears ringing from the avalanche you just set off.

You did this. You were the first pebble in this landslide. On top of being slowly roasted by holy energies, you’ve become one of the most recognizable people here.

Normally, you’d love the attention. But being one of the main people responsible for a political/religious disaster is…a bit much.

Screw this. Your siblings broke the ECS on a bunch of locals, you’re gonna grab one of them for some quick stress relief. One of them, a handsome dwarf with a strong jaw, swooned when you stepped forward, where did he—

“We really stepped in it this time, huh?” Zellah claps you on the back and then cocks her head. “When did you get a tan?”

“I burn easily.” The lie rolls off your tongue easily. You slap her on the bicep. “Dummy! You didn’t have to join me! Dontcha know the trouble you’re in now? The Arcanoknights won’t take someone who’s been excommunicated!”

“Maybe.” Zellah has her usual devil-may-care grin. “But I couldn’t let that jerk have the last word. It doesn’t matter who he is, he couldn’t just insult Valorum after everything she’s done. And don’t think you have to worry about me.”

She inclines her head to Cho. He hasn’t moved from his spot, staring emptily at nothing. His face is pale and his breathing is labored. His emotional state is dulled, like a flat ocean before a storm. Right, he idolized the Paragons.

He’s about to have a breakdown.

“Let’s bring him into the shade.”

You and Zellah drag him to a half-ruined building and set him down on some torn bedding. You spend a while helping Cho by fanning him, having him drink water, and letting him babble about how that was the scariest thing he’d ever done. Zellah leans against a wall, rolling her eyes every time Cho almost breaks into tears.

At least she isn’t jealous of him anymore.

Lynnette’s been swarmed by people either trying to convince her to recant or congratulating her for standing up against Violet. After escaping through a crowd on the edge of fighting among themselves, she hid in the ruins and made a beeline for Zenwan. You hand the blubbering Holy Knight fanboy over to Lynette.

She sets his head on her lap, and you give her a subtle thumbs up. She blushes and looks away, though her hand keeps playing with his (sweaty) black hair.

"Doin’ better, Cho?” You giggle.

“A little…” He takes a deep breath, his volatile emotions finally calming down. “You know, I really looked up to Violet. It wasn’t easy, being the only human in a dwarven city. I kept hitting my head on the doorways, I couldn’t do the forging without protection, and all my friends were so much stronger than me. When I listened to the radio shows, I really felt like I could make it as a human…”

“It must have been hard, feeling like an outsider in your own home.” Lynette smiles gently. “Did they…treat you harshly?”

“No.” Cho shook his head quickly. “At least, not intentionally. Even if I was adopted, my family loved me. Dwarves tend to be a bit…prickly in how they show affection.”

“Sounds like my sensei.” Zellah rolls her shoulder. “Whenever I made a mistake, she had me train harder. More weights, more laps, longer periods under the waterfall…Good times.”

Was it really? The results speak for themselves, she’s an absolute beast with her sword. There’s also a hint of that jealousy rearing its ugly head again. Though Zellah is also really ignorant when it comes to a lot of things. Probably why you have an easier time hanging around her; any innuendos you let slip fly over her head.

That could just be a Prillian thing.

“I don’t remember much of my family…” Lynette’s words are sad, but it’s something she’s long made peace with. “When they discovered my affinity for holy magic, the Holy Knights quickly took me in. I spent most of my childhood training to be Saintess. I suppose I’m a bit like Zellah.”

“I guess you are.” Zellah gives the elf a wry grin before turning her attention to you. “How about you?”

An expectation grows in them. Curiosity and the beginnings of stronger emotional bonds. If you brush them off, there’s gonna be a gulf between you. A bonding moment that you can’t refuse…and you actually really like them!

Uuuughhh! Fine, you’re going to talk. Mix a lot of lies with some vague truth. Only because they’re your (sexy) friends.

“I come from a big family.” You shrug, twirling your pigtails. “Big on the whole ‘be fruitful and multiply’ thing. Some are related, some are adopted…”

Lady Quinn’s technically adopted Prillians and pirates, right? She protects them, teaches them, even fucks them… so you’re not even lying. Emancipation would be so proud of you!

“Anyways, I sorta left on a whim to help some folks and I ended up in the contest that got me in the Holy Knights.”

“I see…” Lynette nods. “Your parents must be devout followers of the Outer God for you to be so knowledgeable.”

“Only a bit!” You wave dismissively. “We’re more on the community aspect of a big family. I know my mother would love it if I had kids…”

Even more if you dicked her down and had her birth a couple of your imps. Lady Quinn’s great like that. Just thinking about her squirming as her bloated belly contracts…unf~

“If it’s any consolation, I think you’d make a great mother.” Lynette’s eyes hover on your hips.

You blush and look away. Gosh, what if you got pregnant? You tighten your legs, keeping your throbbing length clenched between your soft thighs. Forget Quinn bloated with imps, what is someone stuffed so much cum inside your boipussy you got boypreggers? Would your modest bust get bigger? You’d be walking around Haven, cock swinging with pre, people watching in awe as you show off your preggo belly. And when you give birth, you’d cum from your dick and asshole as you push those cute little imps out~

“Too bad it’d ruin your physique.” Zenwan notes. “Say goodbye to those abs you worked so hard on.”

Fuck, you don’t care…why are you so horny all of a sudden? Breathe, breathe…

Cho sits up, a tingle of disappointment and guilt flitting through Lynette. He takes his sword and unsheathes it a bit, staring at his reflection in the blade. You really get Lynette’s attraction to him when he gets all broody.

“What now?” He wonders aloud.

“Maybe…” You hold his hands in yours and pull him close. “Once this is over, you and I can start a family?”

He stutters and backs up to a blushing Lynette, who opens her mouth to say something. Their emotions roil, sparing a glance to each other before breaking eye contact. Zellah laughs and claps you on the back.

“Stop teasing them, April. You’re playing with their feelings too much.”

You pout. You weren’t teasing them…much. You roll your eyes and giggle, giving the lovebirds some space.

For now. The ship must sail first!

“Y’know what they say, right?” You sit next to him, scooching so that his thighs are caught between your hips and Lynette’s. “You gotta take one step after another. And when you stumble, your friends will help you up!”

“You’re very wise, April.” Cho nods, then blushes when he realizes how close he is to you and Lynette. “I like that you always look on the bright side…”

“Aww, don’t just compliment me!” You squirm adorably with your hands on your cheeks. “Zellah was brave enough to stand with me. And Lynette! She had the most to lose of all of this, and she still gave that icky Violet a piece of her mind.”

“O-oh.” Lynette shuffles uncomfortably. “I didn’t really…”

“You sort of did.” Zellah nods. “I think out of everyone, even the other Paragons, your word meant the most.”

This meathead has got some good instincts! You want to wrap her in your arms kiss her until she—Wow, you’re in a lovey-dovey mood. This is more than just DESIRE depletion…maybe you can recover faster with a certain tomboy giving you a reverse mating press!~

Or hiding under Lynette’s robes and eating her pussy until she cums her brains out!~

The four of you are in a somewhat secluded area…you could have a little fun with your friends, right? Maybe invite that sexy vampire?~

Whew, you’ve got it bad. Take a few deep breaths. Why did you suddenly think about the vampire?

“Am I interrupting something?”

Sprocket is at the half-collapsed doorway, raising an eyebrow. Lynette squeaks and shuffles away from you and Zenwan the three of you blushing guiltily. Actually, just those two. You were just a teensy bit hot under the collar. The dwarf eyes each of you and rests her hefty wrench on her shoulder.

“Cho isn’t handling excommunication well.” You shrug. “What’s up, Sprocket?”

“Right…” She clears her throat awkwardly. “I’m supposed to tell you that we’re collecting weapons and armor. And blessings, though I’ve got no clue how to do that.”

“You’re what?” Zellah growls. “Why you—”

“Hey, hey! I don’t want to, either!” Sprocket waves her wrench around. “This is my last job for the Holy Knights anyways. That purple bastard stormed into the engineer’s dorms and started yelling orders to repossess everything the ‘heathens’ had before he spotted my best worker and excommunicated him on the spot.”

Oof. Paragon Violet is gonna realize that was a mistake. Or maybe not, he doesn’t seem the type of person to take responsibility for anything he does.

“Oh.” Zellah deflates. “Sorry.”

“Ah, don’t worry too much. Plenty of my engineers are joining me.” She leans away from the doorway conspiratorially. “Apparently, Silverfist and Goldheart have already approached Valorum. They’ve got something in the works, and she’ll be able to set up her own splinter Order real easy. The biggest hurdle is…”

Her eyes briefly land on Lynette. The Saintess Candidate shrinks. True, her public condemnation of Paragon Violet is bound to have larger impacts on Prillia at large. Last you heard, there are only seven Saintess candidates recognized by the Holy Knights. With Lynette’s excommunication, they’re down to six. Not just that, but it may also legitimize Saintess Candidates recognized by entities outside of the Holy Knights. The idea being that if the Holy Knights were ‘wrong’ about the viability of one of their Saintess Candidates, they could be wrong about others.

“Yeesh, what a mess.” You say as Lynnete shrinks even further.

“Right, almost forgot.” Sprocket pulls a bunch of bolts and bits from her pockets until she finds what she’s looking for. “Paragon Blue said to give this to you. Actually she said to ‘hand this to the beautiful girl that first stood up for Blade Valorum,’ so you must have made an impression.”

Huh? She flicks a business card your way.

“At least you have some guaranteed work after this.” Sprocket snorts.

You flip the card over. It’s the address of a modelling agency with a stylized icon of Paragon Blue.

Did you just get scouted?