“I’m telling you, I’m not joking,” Stephan hissed as Lacy dragged him away from the market square. Behind them, with the sudden interruption gone, the shouts, laughter, and barter returned, merging into the noise of life.

  “Wait, stop dragging me. Do you know anyone with Identify or Insight? We could go to Lady Clara. She can confirm it without a doubt.”

  Lacy put a hand on his forehead, her soft skin pleasantly cool and smelled of strawberries.

  “You don’t have a fever.” She frowned with worry. “You fell back there. Did you hit your head?”

  “I’m fi—” Stephan started, but she wasn’t done.

  “Was it the cabbages?” she whispered conspiratorially. “Did you uncover their plot, so they decided to silence you with poison?”

  “Har, har. Very funny. For a moment, I thought my girl was actually worried about me.”

  “What my girl? I’m a woman. And now that you’ve finally gotten your class, you little late-bloomer, you’re gonna be good on your word and make me an honest one.”

  Stephan blinked. Right. He had promised that. In fact, marriage was the reason he was so eager to get a class, any class, in the first place.

  “Of course I’m marrying you. Our parents have already agreed to it.”

  “You’re tripping on your tongue.” She pecked him on the cheek. “How sweet. I know you will do the right thing. I’m just teasing you. Now, you said you want to go to the temple. That seems awfully convenient.”

  She winked, and Stephan shook his head, holding back a smile.

  Every pot will find its lid. His parents had told him that more than once when he was a child, and they repeated it frequently ever since they had learned of his relationship with Lacy. Now that he had a class, he was only one ceremony away from being officially “lidded”.

  Stephan considered saying it aloud, but the joke would take too much explaining. Besides, the adrenaline was high; it was time for action. Lacy gripped his hand strongly, and her eyes glimmered brilliantly. She was as eager as he was.

  Still, as much as the prospect excited him, Stephan really wanted to go to the temple and see whether the Priest could tell him anything about his new class.

  “Why are we going this way?” he asked. “The temple is over there.”

  “Wait, you really want to go to temple? Now?”

  “Yes, Lacy. I’m not joking. I got the Paladin class. I can heal, and the hospice cottage is right next to the temple. I’ll prove it to you there.”

  Lacy’s expression changed, her grip relaxing. Stephan beamed a smile and grabbed her in turn. “Come on, we can check when’s the next auspicious marriage date while we’re there.”

  Lacy bit her lip, genuine worry touching her face, but she followed.

  The temple was close to the market square, snugly tucked away from the hawkers and the cattle, but less than a hundred yards away from all the hubbub in case anyone needed healing.

  “Lady Clara!” Stephan shouted from the door as the faint scent of incense hit him. “Lady Clara!”

  “Shush, Stephan, you’re not a child to run about shouting.” An elderly woman stepped out from a side chamber, hair white, posture straight as a spear. Her stern eyes flicked from Stephan to Lacy, unimpressed. “Now, what did you want?”

  “Lady Clara,” Stephan tamped down his excitement. “I got a class. Can you tell what it is?”

  Annoyance settled on her aged face along with her frown. Then her gaze sharpened. Her pupils dilated, gold light flooding them as she called upon a blessing.

  “See,” the word echoed in the empty temple.

  Great attention settled on Stephan for a moment, then Lady Clara’s color drained. Her legs gave out, and her rear hit the floor with a thud. Not a shred of a Priest’s dignity about her.

  “Hope help us,” she whispered, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “Sir Paladin has fallen.”

  Stephan and Lacy stared at the old priestess as her lips moved in silent prayer. She repeatedly made the sign to ward off evil. Unlike the villagers, her gesture left a trail of golden light in the air, the sign persisting and growing brighter with each repetition.

  Lacy stared at Stephan. Just moments ago she had been teasing him about a wedding. Now her hand trembled against his sleeve, her grip too tight to be playful.

  Stephan met her gaze, seeing clearly the unease and uncertainty in those ever-bright eyes. He smiled, though his stomach twisted. “I’m still marrying you.”

  “Certainly not!” Lady Clara snapped, scrambling to her feet. “You’re far too green to do anything. No! You will pack your clothes immediately and head to Cliffort’s Knights’ Academy. Hope save us, a barely literate Paladin with a week’s worth of militia training. I’ll tell Mike and Tod to pack their things too; you’ll need an escort.”

  She rounded on Lacy and glared at her. “What you certainly won’t be doing is rolling in the hay with starry-eyed village girls.”

  Stephan opened his mouth to argue, but screams cut his words short.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “What’s that?” Startled, he and Lacy turned towards the door, but the old priestess was already moving.

  “They know,” she mumbled while rushing out. “They already know. Hope have mercy, the dark years are upon us again.”

  She stopped at the door. “Do not leave the temple. Imps and familiars can’t enter consecrated ground.”

  Then, she was gone. Stephan hugged Lacy, holding her firmly as she shook.

  “What do we do now?” she asked.

  Stephan resisted the urge to gulp.

  “We stand,” he said quietly. “And we do what we can.”

  The words seemed silly coming out his mouth and yet felt heavier than they should have.

  He was surprised at how calm and mature he sounded. He didn’t feel like that at all, but he was ready to perform his duty. To do what was right.

  Lacy held his gaze. Hers changed from fearful to determined. She smiled with all the love and courage she could muster and nodded.

  “I’m with you,” she whispered

  An opportunity to prove themselves presented itself to the confused couple not a minute later.

  Miles the carpenter burst in, carrying his ten-year-old daughter, Milly.

  Crimson dripped from her hair. Stephan stepped forward without thinking. His hand glowed gold as he touched Milly’s head, and the cut mended.

  Warmth surged through his chest, deep and steady. He knew he’d done something right.

  Her father stared at him with an open mouth, then at the girl just as she fluttered her eyelashes and opened her eyes.

  “Bless you, Stephan.”

  Stephan barely heard him. The warmth lingered, pooling around his heart. It wasn’t joy, nor pride, but purpose and pleasure at a job well done.

  More people followed. Screams. Blood. Smoke crept in on the air and hung off people’s clothes.

  “Gremlins!”

  “They’re throwing rocks!”

  Lacy helped organize those who weren’t injured. As for the rest… Little Ben had a nasty gash above his eye, Marry clutched her burnt arm, Stephan healed them both. Then Nale, the miller, rushed in, carrying his apprentice, blood bubbling from the youth’s torn throat.

  His face was white, his blue lips gasping for air. His heart is barely beating.

  Stephan pressed both hands to his neck. The warmth flared, almost painfully. The light came, but healing the miller’s apprentice took everything Stephan had to give.

  [Level two reached…]

  Stephan ignored the flash of light and words that followed. His chest suddenly lost all its warmth, but some of his strength returned in exchange for the loss.

  He went from one injured to another, and the pleasant warmth in his chest steadily returned and grew.

  This is exactly what I’m supposed to do - help people and contribute in a meaningful way, save lives. It feels right. Righteous.

  The awareness would’ve made him thrilled, had it not been for the grimness of the situation. The smoke thickened, people stopped coming in, but the screams outside hadn’t.

  He didn’t know when it happened, but Stephan was done healing. Then, the thrill of the moment, his ability to help, the warmth in his chest, all of it spurred him into action.

  He scanned the room, the huddled people, the shrines, and his gaze lingered on War’s altar. An axe, a sword, and a mace crossed before a shield. Not adornments, not props, but real, scarred, battle-tested weapons. Anything less would offend the god.

  Stephan dashed towards them and drew the mace. He didn’t know how to fight with a sword or an axe. Militia training focused on bills, spears, and clubs, but a mace, mace was just a fancy club. He could bash things with a club.

  The weapon found its home in his hand. It was lighter than expected, its grip worn smooth, fitting his palm as if it had always been waiting for him to pick it up. Stephan swung it once and nodded.

  Good enough.

  He dashed out of the temple.

  “Stephan! Where are you goin’? Come back!” Lacy shouted.

  Stephan twisted while running. “I can’t stay. Our families are still outside!”

  Innocents are outside.

  He saw the fire before he stepped through the door. The flames spread from thatched roof to thatched roof, belching through open windows.

  Brighthollow is finished.

  Blue and green figures the size of five-year-old children ran through the street laughing and breaking whatever they got their hands on.

  Lady Clara was trying to drive away two of the pests while healing a woman whose face Stephan couldn’t see. Mike roared in fury while the gremlins laughed and ran away from him. The watchman ducked, and a rock whistled where his head had been a moment ago.

  Fresh blood marred his forehead and temple as he reached Lady Clara, driving away the fae harassing her. The little creatures jeered and mocked him when he stopped to defend her. For some reason, the watchman shouted and started running again.

  “Stop, Mike, they are goading you!” Mike didn’t heed Lady Clara’s warning and ran off.

  Stephan took in the situation.

  What do I do next?

  Then he saw three of the little green figures running across the temple’s green with torches in their hands.

  No! Those gremlins are going to burn down the temple!

  “Scram!” He sprinted to intercept them, and the monsters erupted into cheers.

  As if they had planned it ahead, all three threw the burning planks his way at the same time. Stephan shattered one, but the other two hit. One struck his shoulder, the fiery end away from his face, but the second hit his legs, fiery side hitting his pants.

  The wool didn’t catch, but Stephan’s leg buckled. The gremlins cackled and ran towards him to capitalize on his weakness. Stephan gave up on standing and stabilized himself with one knee on the ground.

  On the same level as the gremlins, he looked them in the eye and growled when they reached him.

  Stephan swung. The mace brained one of them with a crunch. Then the other two faltered. Instead of running away in fear, though, they doubled over in laughter, screaming something in their high-pitched voices.

  Warmth flooded into Stephan’s chest, and he used the chance to regain his stance while the fae rolled on the grass, laughing.

  “Come on,” Stephan licked his lips. “Let’s see if I can make you laugh some more.”

  [Level two reached

  Skill acquired: Blessing of Arms I

  +1 Agility, +1 Charisma, +1 Composure, +1 Dexterity, +1 Endurance, +0 Intelligence, +1 Luck, +0 Perception, +1 Presence, +1 Strength, +0 Toughness, +1 Vitality, +1 Willpower, +1 Wisdom]

  [Stephan Cobblerson, Paladin level 2

  Class skills: In Living Memory XVII, Blessing of Healing I, Blessing of Arms I

  Attributes: Agility: 11, Charisma: 11, Composure: 12, Dexterity: 11, Endurance: 11, Intelligence: 11, Luck: 12, Perception: 11, Presence: 12, Strength: 12, Toughness: 11, Vitality: 12, Willpower: 12, Wisdom: 12]