200 Umbriel’s Miracle

AUTHOR'S POV

Umbriel prayed for miracles. He implored the heavens to send down his angels to cease the bloodbath that has come upon them. Months ago, he was just an ordinary frail priest who knows nothing but to pray. From morning until night, he studies the books and write all the scriptures. But now, he's someone who holds a sword, wielding it to take a life that he once never did.

Time seemed to slow down as he hear his lose his own breath while gazing at Stellan, Atrius and Jac who were fighting for their lives in all angles. Atrius' strength seemed to have started to leave him, while Jac wrestles down anyone who attacks him with a wounded leg. At any rate, the two novice fighters are ought to collapse as their remaining energy would possibly be completely drained. And if that happens, the paladin knight would be dangerously fighting alone.

Despite Stellan shows no exhaustion while he swordfight three rebels at a time, he have stopped wielding his sword ablaze with his aura. With a dozen more skillful rebels to tussle for their lives with, only the strongest and the fittest shall survive.

In the midst of Atrius crumbling down on his wobbly knees, he paved a way for a rebel to attack him openly. One rebel was about to lunge his sword into the Atrius' chest who have fallen to his knees, when two long emerald green energy arrows suddenly hit him in his head and chest at the same time. And so, one of Umbriel's many prayers was answered. His miracle, indeed

"Sorry, we're late", Alesso jumped down from a griffin firing more arrows at a time. 

"Just in time", Stellan nodded with a relieved grin. Prior, he sent a letter to Alesso, that he is in need of a friend for a possible clash in the borders of Caluso. Stellan is glad that Alesso didn't fail him.

Atrius never felt more at ease. Getting a pair of paladins as a back up is more than enough than getting a battalion of experienced warriors. On his knees, he suddenly gained more strength to fight as he stood back on his feet, and vigorously wielded his sword once more. 

Another one jumped off from a griffin soaring in the sky. As she land gracefully with great depth, she instantly released a strong power from an enormous double bladed labrys killing the rebels attacking Jac. Jacomus was stunned, falling on his back gaping at Vesta. "You all look dreadful, it's time for a woman to take over", she rested her labrys over her shoulder. 

"You shouldn't have come, but thanks", Stellan stood back to back with Alesso as they both watch each other's back on the rebel onslaught. The paladin knight, who's been preserving his powers, brandished his sword with a sudden outburst of his aura stronger than before. 

"I think I'm in love", Jac's glassy eyes looked fixedly at the paladin crusader, as he captivated with Vesta's strong physique and blinding charm. He slowly stood up and held Vesta's hand with those mesmerized eyes especially locked on the lady paladin. 

"Stop daydreaming and get out of my fuckin' way!", Vesta swatted Jac's hand as she fire up her aura in her fist, threatening Jac to back off. But the gentle giant seemed to have lost his wit, gazing lovingly at Vesta as she contend with two men in a blink of an eye. 

"Commander!! We should go!!", Ember desperately plead after seeing two more paladins arrive, crushing their men with no merciful intentions to spare anyone. "Move out!!", he called hastily. Valdemar, in disbelief, couldn't move a muscle as he watch his men meet their end. It is surely a deafeat against the holy warriors of Nether from the start. Despite his men train in the harshest weather day and night, they were still no match for the paladins graced with immense power. "Fall.. back! fall back!!" Valdemar yelled as he rid his horse and made his way out. 

The remaining rebels, wounded and not, fled, following the trail of their commander. Alesso was about to send more blazing arrows towards the rebels running like a bolt, but Stellan halted the paladin archer. "Let them be, they ain't worth it", Stellan lowered down Alesso's arm along with his bow and arrow. "We have wasted so much time here, let's find Ottis and Helena".

Alesso led the group into the trail he found earlier when he was boarded on the griffin in the sky. Trudging through the ankle-deep snow, they followed the tracks into the boreal forest which they certainly believe is the way to Caluso as well. As they go, Alesso and Vesta, who barely made out of the palace, filled the paladin knight in with the entire situation in the palace that he have miss out. 

"The King, Lord Callaghan, Lord Harlan, General Rowan, Yereah, High Priest Onias, some priests and vassals. All dead", Alesso made a list of the notable persons who were killed in a short period of time that the paladin knight was gone. "And just like that, our kingdom gained a new general, a new high priestess, a new high priest and a new King!! And guess what, a dark healer is roaming the Kingdom like a guard, killing everyone on its way", he said.

"Without Haelan we can't possibly get rid of that ghoul. It will kill us all, until there's no man is left.. and woman.", Vesta said as she rest her labrys over her shoulder with a loud sigh. Her feet digs deep on the snow as she follow Stellan.

"Let her stay out of this, Vesta. We'll find a way to kill those pesky dark healers on our own. And it's Helena, not Haelan", Stellan trudge swiftly on the deep snow, as he create a path for everyone to walk in easily. Only Alesso made his own trail, who's feet doesn't even sink in the spotless white slush.

"Really?", Vesta irked with what she heard from the paladin knight's lips as she grab onto Stellan with a triggered annoyance. Whether its arrogance or his ego, it is surely not a wise decision to let go of Helena. "Here's the thing, Commander of the great Knights! When I was trapped in my body, I heard and saw so much things that I shouldn't have. The longer I stayed trapped in there, the less I hear and the fewer I see. But let me tell you this… There was the Queen, who was actually Argus. That man is bad… he takes souls like breakfast who's as strong as Helena… who can grip the wind, lift the waters and move the roots in the ground. Oh well, he's dead all right, so why bother? But wait, there's another one out there who they call Celeste. She's a different kind of evil. She filled the palace with her minions, taking control of everything in there. She collected soul travelers and got them caged in the palace catacombs. She was even able to get a hold of a paladin like me…. What more you and Alesso?", Vesta confronted the paladin who refused to involve Helena. "Haelan or Helena, whatever that celestial is called, I tell you… we need her here", she insinuated as she let go of Stellan. "And guess what else did I find out?", Vesta let go of Stellan who's all ears at them.

"The traveler's stone makes you invisible from the dark healers.", Alesso completed Vesta's thoughts. "As if you could walk with them. ", he said. It suddenly piqued Stellan's interest realizing the stone is their best option to kill the dark healers, and not Helena joining the battlefield.

"They were able to get the stone from Alesso's little friend. I think that bitch Celeste can control the dark healers using the stone. If you ask me, that ain't a good idea. But you know what, there's one thing I'm sure of. Argus and Celeste were inseparable like a team… The death of Argus indeed came by surprise. And Galen? He rose to his position right away, smooth like butter where no one could opposed. Who would dare?", Vesta rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"Argus, who we all thought is buried in the ice, was alive in the body of the Queen, and murdered the King. All along I thought he's the enemy here. Thawing him from Caluso, unleashing dark healers, mass murdering priests, burning villages, killing the King and then... VOILA!! He ended up being killed for good. It doesn't make sense.", Alesso thought hard as he smoothly gasp cold air. Stellan remained silent, as he listen closely. Truly, so much happened at a perfect time when he was not around.

"It sounded like Argus was manipulated to make a fuss, and got disposed off after doing the dirty works", Atrius figured.

"Like a puppet", Umbriel stared at Stellan, sending him thoughts about his intuition in their conversation earlier in the treehouse. "Galen is the puppeteer", he guessed.

"Galen the only heir to throne, he doesn't need to crawl his way to that royal seat.", Vesta thought. 

"You know… Galen may be some laid back kind of a prince, but he is definitely disreputably cold-blooded. When we were kids, he watched a snake swallow his mum's cat whole like some sort of entertainment. He hated the words that stab him on his back, especially the vassals and priests that are against his ways.", Alesso explained that made Stellan recall the several cruelties of the prince, without dirtying his hands.

"Maybe he knew that the King have a child, and that threatened him as the heir to the throne.. given that he's a bastard child of the Queen.", Stellan assumed as he catch a glimpse of three people in the snow not too far ahead, hoping one of those silhouettes belong to Helena. "And Helena… I don't know", he sighed deeply clenching his jaw. He thought that such conversation is over. Helena may be their weapon against the dark healers, but it doesn't that she would win this war.

"That's why he needs Helena, the true heir!!", Jac trudge closely with Vesta, who's getting annoyed with his presence.

"So please tell me… that we're gonna pick Helena up in that mountain to fight with us, and not just bid her goodbye and watch her soul travel away", Vesta gritted her teeth, imposing Helena's crucial part in their plans.