"What are you gonna do old man?" Said approaching outlaws as they raised their swords towards shrieking civilians.
A grandfather and grandmother tried to defend their teenage grandchild from the assailants.
The old man had picked up a Cutlass and his wife and rake.
The attackers laughed as they drew their weapons.
Suddenly they heard a scream, almost sounding like a repetition.
Sir Xerox ran towards the outlaws but he wasn't alone. He approached them with multiple versions of himself. A product of his affinity type Clone Magic. He used mana to enhance himself and his strikes as he took the assailants with ease.
"Thank you Sir Xerox." The family told him.
"It's alright Sir! Madam!." Xerox said as he calmed them down.
He looked at their granddaughter and said;
"Take your grandparents to the church, they should be safe there." As he returned to his horse and watched the family flee in the church's direction.
He got back on his horse and charged deeper into the town taking down the opponents in his path.
The Black Knight and Jack had been exchanging blows for a while with Jack's speed allowing him to dodge Merlin's devastating attacks.
"Why won't you stand STILL!" Merlin scream out as he swings his axe at Jack's torso only for him to dodge again.
"This is going to wear me down if i continue for long." Jack thought to himself as he calculated his victory or potential loss.
"Boys! Focus your attacks on this here knight." Jack shouted out to his underlings as they attacked the knight from all sides allowing the laughing Jack to escape the knights blade.
"You really have no honour? JACK!!" Merlin screams out, loud enough for Jack to hear.
"So you know who i am?" Jack replies from a great distance.
"Yes, I've heard about scum like you. I know just how to deal with scum like you." Merlin said as he continued receiving different elemental attacks from all sides from Jack's Boys.
SHADOW TERRITORY.
Merlin had extended his affinity from within himself, despite the great drain upon himself it would deal great damage to his opponents.
The massive pool of darkness appeared around Merlin. Covering several houses and outlaws around him. Jack was quick enough to escape, his men were not.
DOWN FORCE.
A great gravitational pressure came upon the outlaws and buildings around him. Crushing them in an instant.
Merlin returns his shadows back into himself as they creep into his armour.
"MONSTER!! You must be that so called Black Knight. Now i understand why they fear you." Jack said from a distance.
"I will call off my men and i truly hope we don't cross paths again Knight cause now i know a little of your tricks so am going to get a some new ones for myself." Jack laughs maniacally as he flees into the darkness.
Merlin struggled to stand as the move he used drained him of high quantities of mana.
"Boss! How are you holding up?" Merlin asked the wounded Aki.
"I'll live. Now that Jack has fled we have to get back to the church." Aki replied Merlin.
Merlin took out a strange looking whistle and blew it as Pearl, his Pegasus flapped her wings and flew open the door of the church stable and headed towards them.
"Good girl." Merlin said as he placed Aki on Pearl and sat the saddle.
"Hyah!" He yelled out as Pearl flew towards the church.
Back at the church. The Paladins faced the Outlaw who now held a child hostage. A dagger at her throat.
"Anyone take any step closer, the girl goes goodnight or maybe forever." The Knight says as he lets out a sick laugh.
"Nobody move!! He screamed out while pressing the dagger at the crying child's neck.
"Don't worry Amelia, nothing will happen." The Paladin said as he told his partner to stop all movement.
In the hall where the other children gathered. The elder priest Milan got up and addressed everyone.
"We have to wait patiently and quietly, we don't know our attackers and their strengths. The paladins will give it their all and keep you safe. Xi, Olive, Awia stay with the children." He said.
"Elder Milan let me go with you, i can see if there is any wounded and..." Awia responded.
"No! You must remain here with everyone, you must keep each other safe until i say we can all go out. We must keep the children and the civilians who made it here safe." Elder Milan stopped her as he walked out the door closing it behind him.
"Dumb girl thought she could hide in a toilet... There is no escape from the Dillinger Boys! Everything belongs to us." The Outlaw said out loud with madness in his voice.
"Stop! I don't know what you came for but take it and go. Please let the child go." Elder Milan said as he approached the Paladins and Outlaw who had faced off in the courtyard, standing under the moonlight's illumination.
"I came for YOU! All of YOU!!" The outlaws screams out as he throws the girls away slicing her neck and as he pounches on the shocked elder and proceeds to stab him numerous times.
"Nooooooo!" The female Paladin screams out as she catches the girl and rushes her to the Priestess.
The male Paladin engages the outlaw. The outlaw takes out another dagger stabbing the paladin in the stomach.
"Fast hands i guess... Life of a young pickpocket. How far i have come, Jack's ways have truly elevated me to great heigh..."
BANG!
A large hole appears in the forehead of the outlaws. Lee had woken up. The outlaw drops to the floor.
"Where's the healer?" Lee asks as he lifts up the elder who had been bleeding from several wounds.
"Down the hall take the left side" the Paladin said as he pressed his wound and followed the desperate Lee.
Everyone in the room had been waiting anxiously. The door is pushed open to everyone's shock and suprise the female Paladin runs in.
"It's amelia she needs help, Awia please." The paladin says to Awia.
Awia rushes to heal the girl quickly sealing the wound and returning the girl to a stable condition.
"You're alight now, Amelia." Awia says as she smiles at the girl.
The door bursts open again this time. Lee runs in with the bleeding elder.
"Elder Milan!!" The people scream out in dread.
"Keep him here." Awia yells at Lee to place him Infront of her.
"It's too late for me.... my child..." Elder Milan struggles to say.
"No... Don't say THAT!!". Awia yells out with tears in her eyes.
"I raised you as well as others.... But you... You stayed...you were faithful to the light... Helpful to others, especially the children. You deserve happiness my child. You truly are wonderfu.." Elder Milan utters his last words as strength leaves his body.
The room is filled with weeping and wailing as Lee bends his head.
Aki and Merlin arrive on Pearl and rushed into the church, they run though the walkway as they observe the body of the dead outlaw on the courtyard and increased their steps.
They open the doors of the hall only to find a great sadness had befallen the church and Awia held the body of the man that filled the role of her father.