Divine Envoys' Battle

"How did he get here, too!" Grayson was taken aback to see the golden-robed middle-aged man. He was the Grand Priest Gothard, the leader of the Order of the Winged Light and the divine messenger of the Holy Emperor. Ten years ago, he had issued the Holy Emperor's decree to burn black cats and witches at the stake to all the priests within the empire, triggering a massacre in the three duchies under imperial control.

Elyra, a victim of that massacre, did not recognize him, but Grayson was all too familiar. This zealot under the Holy Emperor harbored hostility towards elves and merfolk alike, believing them to be heretical creatures. He had even incited the Holy Emperor to wage war to eradicate both races, but his efforts were thwarted time and again by the head of the Order of the Silver Dragon's Wing, Andros.

Now, with Seraphine and Morven encircled by the priestly cohort, Gothard was not one to let this chance slip by. Where his scepter pointed, the priests within the circle simultaneously opened their tomes, with their right hands shooting out a golden beam toward Seraphine and Morven, turning into sharp arrowheads seeking their prey.

Seraphine, seeing the golden arrows launch from all directions, quickly cast a spell, creating a water shield around her and Morven. The golden arrows struck the shield, causing ripples and undulations but failing to penetrate.

Taking advantage of the momentary respite from the priests' assault, Seraphine pointed her staff, and four portals rippling with white foam appeared around her. A battalion of lower-tier merfolk soldiers, brandishing blades, sprang from the swirling vortices.

"If you must force our hand to violence, Grand Priest Gothard, then so be it!" Seraphine angrily thrust her staff towards Gothard, as the merfolk soldiers surged towards the human priests with raised blades.

"Destroy these malevolent sirens!" Bachmann, the acolyte, roared. The priests turned their attention to the oncoming merfolk, releasing waves of deadly retribution magic from their holy books. The merfolk soldiers hit by the spells screamed as they fell, while the rest nimbly dodged and thrust their spears into the priests' chests, plunging the square into chaos.

"Kill that witch, don't let her continue her sorcery!" Gothard commanded from the steps above.

At his order, Bachmann hurled his silver scepter towards Seraphine. The scepter, engulfed in dazzling light, transformed into a massive silver warhammer and smashed against the water shield.

With a splash, the shattered shield rained down, and the warhammer descended upon Seraphine again. Morven, in a desperate attempt to protect her, pushed her aside and stumbled back, his movement aggravating his wounds, and he was nearly overcome by searing pain.

"Morven!" Seraphine reached out to steady him as the adventurer waved her off, gritting through the pain, "Go, don't worry about me. They're after you; I'll be fine."

"I can't leave you behind!" Seraphine, defiant, faced Bachmann, who was again raising the silver hammer. She spread her arms, transforming into a mermaid suspended in a swirling torrent.

"The wrath of the ocean will consume you!" She bellowed, her staff radiating blinding blue light, the ground quaking fiercely beneath them.

A colossal roar resounded as the earth beneath Bachmann's feet crumbled, a water spout erupting skyward like a roaring dragon, flinging the executioner into the air.

With Bachmann's cries of terror, Seraphine, now a guardian mermaid, soared, her staff spinning mid-air as the water column exploded into a ring of tidal waves, knocking down the encircling priests like dominoes.

As the waves receded, Bachmann landed painfully on the steps, gasping and clutching his chest, unable to rise. The priests lay drenched and disheveled, sprawled awkwardly around the square.

"It seems we're not needed after all," Grayson sighed in relief, having been ready to join the fray. This was the first time he witnessed Seraphine's true magic, and he couldn't help but feel admiration.

"Such a light punishment for their deeds is far too lenient," Elyra said through gritted teeth, glaring at the fallen priests with a fierce desire to leap down and exact her vengeance. If not for Grayson's restraining hand, she might have done just that.

"Control yourself, my dear. They will pay for their debts in full, but not now."

Grayson calmly stroked Elyra's head, and she buried her face in his chest, closing her eyes to quell her anger, though her body still trembled.

"Morven, are you alright?" Seraphine turned to Morven, supporting him. The adventurer gasped, "I'm fine; that was quite the show!"

"I didn't want to do this. They forced my hand!" Seraphine spat back at Gothard on the staircase, "Grayson once berated me for the Order's blind manner of justice. I didn't believe him then, but I never expected to be on the receiving end so soon."

"Grayson?" Hearing the name, Gothard scoffed, "So you're in league with that damned fugitive. Good, I'll deal with you and then execute that criminal myself!"

As Gothard raised his golden scepter towards Seraphine and Morven, the jewel at its tip flashed, and three golden beams materialized into three angelic figures, brandishing holy swords in reverence.

"No one can withstand the wrath of heaven," he declared. The angels raised their radiant swords skyward, and a golden light descended with unstoppable force, striking the ground where Seraphine and Morven stood.

The impact sent a powerful golden shockwave radiating outwards, collapsing neighboring buildings and reverberating in the ears of all present.

Grayson shielded Katheren and Elyra with his arms, dodging collapsing walls and avoiding the shockwave's sweep from a distance.

As the Golden blast faded, and the square fell silent again, Grayson looked around to ensure safety before releasing Katheren and Elyra and standing up to peer over the fallen wall towards the square.

Where Seraphine and Morven had been, a crater five meters in diameter now gaped, swathed in settling dust, but no sound emerged from within.

Staring into the dissipating dust, Grayson felt an ominous premonition.

Then, a commanding voice rose from the pit, "Grand Priest Gothard, abusing divine authority is against the will of the Holy Emperor, whom has reprimanded you many times for this. Are you really so obstinate? Is this your loyalty to His Majesty?"

Hearing this, Gothard's triumphant expression turned ashen. His narrowed eyes glared at the swirling dust above the crater, muttering, "No, could that scoundrel spoil my plans again?"

As the dust cleared, a figure in golden armor emerged from the crater, his aura blinding, enveloping both Morven and Seraphine in its radiant glow.

Supporting them out of the crater to the steps below, he parried the advancing Bachmann and priests with his golden lance, lifting the visor to reveal the icy visage of Andros.

"Grand Priest, indiscriminate killing is not the teaching of the Holy Emperor to the knights. You might want to ask my lance if it agrees," the Knight Commander Andros called out sternly to Gothard.