Ch 59 – The broken Paladin

After emptying her ring of the barrels, necro stared at the carts... Each only comported the barrels themselves, leaving a little space that could fit a set of armor and the swords.

"Yeah... it ain't gonna cut it..." She muttered

"Eh? What was it?" Bid asked, coming closer to the carts.

"I still have three sets of armor and the swords, a lot of swords. I think only one of them will fit here."

"Wait a second! How are we supposed to carry two sets of plate armor?" Hal's desperate voice could be heard behind Necro, who was almost laughing imagining the scene.

"Why don't you just wear it?" The unexpected solution came from the most obvious person... The one clad in full plate armor. Mary.

"Eh."

"Huh?" Ace and Bid froze for a second as they failed to understand how that would work.

"Did you guys seriously ignore the option of just wearing the armor?" Mary asked, with a tone of perplexity.

"..."

"I guess you did. Well... That's just dumb." She shrugged, as she slowly made her way towards Necro, putting her hand on her shoulder as she softly muttered. "We are gonna laugh our asses at them trying to wear those all the way there." She chuckled before looking back at the boys who had a little bit of a dejected face for not realizing the obvious solution.

What they didn't know, however, is how hard it is to walk around in plate armor when you are not used to it, let alone one that isn't perfectly suited for you.

Necro dumped all the dozens of swords into the carts, spreading the set of armor around so that it would fit in between the barrels. After it was all said and done, the remaining two sets of armor were put on the ground next to the carts.

"My job's done." She said, walking towards Mary.

"Oh, thank you. See you in an hour I guess?" Bid bid her farewell as he squatted to verify the armor pieces. "Hal? Who's gonna take which?"

"Eh?! What do you mean? I'll take the larger one since you're smaller."

"What the fuck!? I'm not that small you son of a b-"

"See you guys!" Necro took her leave as the pair's bicker started to heat up. Mary followed her closely behind while giggling. The two, soon enough, found themselves walking through the woods. Slowly, Mary made her way to Necro's side as she slowly snuggled herself cover despite the inconvenience of the armor.

"What is it?" Necro asked as she noticed Mary's creeping.

"Eh? I... It is I... I mean..."

"Hm... I see... Come here real quick." Necro suddenly stopped walking and turned behind while putting her hands herself.

"Me?... Sure..." Mary, not understanding what was happening sheepishly walked in front of Necro. Her hands sweating as she awaited in anticipation. To her, Necro was still an almost complete mystery.

"You see... I still can't trust you completely."

"Eh?!" Mary was confused by Necro's words, almost to the point of crying. She'd given up on her own beliefs and given herself up to her. What else could there be? Her head in turmoil as Necro slowly walked towards her, putting her hands on both sides of Mary's helmet.

She just froze, confused, as Necro stood on the tip of her toes, lifting her helmet over her head and removing it. Necro's hears skipped a beat as she saw the blonde hair fall over Mary's blushed face as she slowly came back to naturally standing, Mary's helmet under her arm.

"Kneel." A single word. That's all Necro said as her tone turned serious and imperious.

"Eh? Me? Why?" Mary was startled. She had no idea of what was happening. What did she want with this? What did she mean?

"KNEEL!" The domineering way Necro's voice raised made a chill go down Mary's spine. An unknown force subduing her and forcing her to kneel as a slight red glint appeared on her and Necro's seyes. She immediately lowered her head as she knelt with a fist touching the ground.

Only to have her face lifted up carefully by a pair of warm and affective hands. Before she melted as she found herself embraced in a heartened kiss. Necro leaned herself down a wee bit, as to reach her, as she gave the paladin a long and meaningful kiss. She herself was unaware of what made her do this, but there was something telling her this was of the utmost importance. That she needed to attain her loyalty there and then. Necro did not know why she was doing what she was doing, she just felt like doing it. The events of last night, still very much vivid in her mind.

Necro took a step back, breathless. While Mary stared motionless at her, in awe and veneration.

"Who do you serve?" Necro asked in the same superb tone, but now, a different aura was present around her. One of kindness and concern.

"I... serve God."

"Which god" Necro asked, once again sprouting a seed of intrigue in Mary's own beliefs. "The god of the church, a god of your own, or a God you don't even know?"

"I..." Mary stalled, her eyes wide as she searched within herself for an answer which she did not have. She couldn't say the god of the church, since she herself abandoned such beliefs when she indulged herself in Necro's embrace last night. Not only that, she too was cast out and excommunicated. Yet, she could not say she had a god of her own, a god whose teachings were a mystery and whose identity was unknown... In the end, her only choice would be Necro's latest mention... One she did not even know. Her long proven perception of the world cracked right there and then. Over a duodecenium of teachings and indoctrination. Rather, one could say her whole world collapsed on that moment. Despair painted Mary's eyes as tears started to form. It'd dawned on her the ephemerality of her own beliefs. And she instantly returned to who she'd been prior to her adoption by the church.

That broken and starving girl who was found beaten to the verge of death on the gully behind the church. The identity of her assailants erased from her memory by the violence of their doings.