Adventure of Rekka Ch. 10

The knight didn’t even blink, keeping his forward motion as he lowered his shoulder and crashed into Bill. It didn’t do much besides dent the pauldron. Bill blushed as he managed to catch himself from falling onto his face, reversing his swing and striking the pommel into the man’s open faced helm, his expression surprised. There was a sickening crunch of metal and skull, felling the knight like a tree.

Rekka and Tabitha had arrived, going to work on the rest of the Order boys. They were not holding back. Clearly the women had been extremely careful and considerate with the men they’d fought before. Tabitha was putting Teresa to shame, using some kind of martial art which incorporated those incredible claws of hers. When she connected men left their limbs behind as their bodies went flying. Rekka was a whirlwind of death, no technique, a blur of furious violence that left the crusaders broken and silent in her wake. Bill couldn’t help but notice her beautiful face was twisted into a profound anger, much like when she’d tackled him. He hated that she was pushed to this. The Order had no chance as they ripped into them with hideous ferocity.

Bill turned his attention to the priest, scowling. He’d be damned if he let the little bastard try that light-show on Rekka. He was putting the sword’s claims of cutting through magical barriers to the test, charging at him with every ounce of speed he could muster.

The sword crashed into the barrier, arcing golden lightning crawling up the blade. Bill’s boots dug into the earth as he pushed, the whimpering priest's own feet skidding back a few inches as he clutched something in his hands, watching the sword with dread.

“No good! This isn’t sorcery, it’s holy! I can’t cut it! It’s worse than useless!” the sword cried in warning.

Bill snarled, letting go of the sword which immediately rocketed backwards, yelping in surprise. Bill flung his hands forward, digging through the barrier with his gauntlet clad fingers, desperate to reach the man before he could try anything else which might threaten Rekka or his friends.

He gritted his bared teeth as he stared into the young man’s terrified eyes, golden lighting sparking off his gauntlets and bracers. His spread fingers pierced the barrier, the gauntlets glowing red with heat along the line the barrier intersected. He felt a moment of searing pain before the lightning crawling up his arms numbed him. It was like grabbing a high voltage wire.

The priest’s eyes were darting between the hands slowly piercing his barrier and Bill’s snarling face. He looked very young then, just a frightened kid. Bill wondered if this priest had killed children with the same look on their faces.

“I want to go home,” he whimpered.

“Fuck!” Bill shouted, hating himself. He clamped his fingers together and jabbed them through the barrier as he surged forward with a final burst of strength. The shield burst like a bubble, and his hands shot forward.

Bill growled at his own weakness as he grabbed the kid’s shoulders instead of breaking his neck as he planned, throwing him to the dirt. The priest's breath burst out of him and his wrist broke with a sickening wet crack, sending the golden object he’d clutched in his white knuckled grip tumbling away. He stared up at Bill, unable to draw in any air to wail his pain and fear, sure his life was at its end.

Bill glared down at him, trying to find the will to finish it as he heaved in great lungfuls of air from his exertion. Before he could come to a decision the other full plated knight drew his attention as he noisily rolled onto his back, his severed leg pumping bright arterial blood. Gasping shallowly, he clawed at his neck.

He ripped a necklace free from under his breastplate, the thick gold chain breaking, several loose links spilling free. Holding it in his gauntlet he raised his shaking fist to the sky and crushed what he held with a crunch of shattering glass. Tabitha dropped her heel onto his chest, caving in the chestplate and the man's ribs with her phenomenal strength. She was only a moment too late.

The party watched in wonder as a column of golden light formed over the dead man, the battlefield now lit bright as day.

The sickeningly familiar sight of a golden haired winged woman clothed in white floated down the column of light, her eyes closed and her hands clasped in prayer.

She opened her eyes, gazing about at the carnage with a profound sadness. Her gaze settled on the shuddering priest as he struggled to fill his lungs and held onto his broken wrist.

Her expression was distressed as she looked him over, only to firm with cold purpose as her eyes moved to the man standing over the injured priest.

Bill’s heart sank. The world moved in slow motion as she raised her hand at him, palm out. The sword wouldn’t save him now, and he knew the angel was about to give him a light show he had absolutely no hope of dodging at this range. He prepared himself for what was coming, turning to look for Rekka, wanting to see her one last time. He was relieved to see Tabitha crouching to launch herself into the air and tear the angel apart before she could kill anyone else.

His heart stopped dead as his eyes landed on Rekka. She was charging towards him, clearly intent on knocking him out of the way and sacrificing herself. He damn well wasn’t going to allow that. His weight shifted forward.

He caught her as she slammed into him, his love letting loose a distressed yelp as he drew her to him. Wrapping her in a hug he turned his back to the angel and shielded his wife with his body.

The world went white, a terrible heat flaring on his back. No heat burst through his chest, filling him with relief that Rekka would survive this. He held her tight, wondering what was in store for him in the afterlife, and dearly not looking forward to his punishments. He assumed he was fading out when everything went dark and silent. His world had shrunk to nothing but what he could fill his senses with Rekka.

A woman’s voice cried out with hysterical distress.

“No! Oh no, no, no! I’m sorry! I wasn’t told! Lord, forgive me! I didn’t know!”

Tabitha roared, her face twisted with a terrible anger as she leapt into the air directly at the angel. She struck a golden barrier, flinging her back with a snarl of frustration that her attack had failed and only flung the woman several feet through the air.

Larry opened up as soon as Tabitha was clear, emptying the magazine with three quick shots. The massive slugs slammed impotently into the shield as the angel was rocked back with each impact.

She did not appear to notice either attack as she dragged her horrified eyes from the smoking ruin of chainmail hanging from Bill’s back.

“Forgive me, Lord! I did not know! Please! No, no, I am your servant!” she cried, her eyes darting about searching the sky, absolutely terrified. She shot her eyes back down to look at the priest with anguished apology.

“I’m sorry!” she sobbed, then shot upward into the column of light and fading away with it.

Bill had seen none of this, his eyes locked onto Rekka’s face, drinking in her beauty. She clutched him, whimpering with despair.

She opened her mouth to howl, her voice filled with a terrible heartbreaking urgency.

“HELENA!”

Bill was starting to feel nauseous. He was sure his heart would stop hammering in his chest any moment with a dreadful finality. The edge of the smoking crater he was certain had been scored into his back was beginning to burn as shock left him. He felt nothing from within the burning ring, and this filled him with horror.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Larry asked.

“Shut up, don’t tell me how it looks, I don’t want to throw up on Rekka,” Bill begged.

Larry snorted, a giddy relief running through him at what he saw. He stepped forward and slapped Bill on his back.

“What the fuck!” Bill snapped, whipping his head around to glare at the insensitive prick.

“Whoa, calm down dude. You’re fine. Kind of. That stupid chainmail is burning the hell out of you, but that light didn’t do shit to your back,” Larry said, backing away and grinning.

Rekka ducked out of Bill’s embrace, flinging herself around him to see for herself. Her cry of relieved delight and ecstatic smile finally allowed him to believe he wasn’t about to drop dead.

Immediately he let rip a stream of curses, struggling out of the searing hot chainmail, his movements clumsy. He was now very aware of the burning pain radiating from his hands within the scorched gauntlets. He flung the heap of super-heated chainmail and smoking silk shirt onto the ground.

Bill turned in circles as he probed at what parts of his back he could reach with his gauntlet clad fingers. He was forced to stop as the pain in his hands began to peak, the gauntlets still worryingly hot to the touch.

“F-fuck. I thought it was all over there. Rekka. I fucking love you. If you ever try something like that again I will follow you to hell and spank your ass raw,” Bill declared, holding his arms wide as she slipped into his embrace once more. He couldn’t be too angry, she was alive and he was only maimed. Helena should be able to fix that up, so it was a win for him.

Rekka said nothing, just holding him.

“Glad you’re alright, dude. What the fuck was that angel on about? She lost her damn mind there,” Larry asked as he scanned the night sky dreading to find any more golden columns of light.

Bill looked at him, not sure what he was talking about. He’d stopped paying attention to everything but Rekka while he made his last goodbye.

“What do you mean, didn’t Tabitha rip her apart?” Bill asked. He’d expected to see a cloud of bloody feathers around the tiger woman as he looked her over.

She shook her head, saying, “No, she was shielded. I couldn’t get through to her. I’m so glad you’re alive, Bill.”

He was touched, the woman was holding that expression of relieved joy as though she didn’t mean to lose it.

“Jesus, me too,” Bill said, letting out a shaky breath.

He looked at Larry then, wondering where his gun was and why his right arm was hanging at his side.

“You ok, man? Where’s your gun?” Bill asked.

“Oh. Yeah. Think I broke something. Remind me to strap some kind of leather pad on next time I decide to mag-dump on any flying women,” he said, poking at his shoulder and wincing. He was used to bruising, but firing in quick succession was a new experience in pain.

Tabitha reached over to him, concerned. She hesitated as she saw the blood glistening on her claws, her tail going still. Larry noticed, snorting out a breath before grabbing her paw with his mobile arm.

“Fuck, Tabby. The only blood I care about is yours. Are you ok?”

“Yes, my husband, they could not touch me,” Tabitha answered. She wrapped her great paw around his hand and smiled at him lovingly.

“How bout you, Rekka?” Bill asked, “Not that I expect any of these assholes could land a finger on you.” He wanted to pat her down to be sure, but it just wasn’t possible right now. She shook her head slightly while pressing the side of her face into his bare chest.

They looked up as thudding hoof beats approached. Helena hurdled a low bush to land skidding to a stop near the party. Her upper body and flanks were heaving as she breathed, her legs shaky. Clearly she’d come running when Rekka had yelled for her. Felix was right behind her, hauling on the reins of his horse and sliding from the saddle before it even stopped. He managed not to trip over his spear and break his neck in his rush to Helena’s side.

“Please, Rekka, what is wrong? Who is in need?” Helena pleaded, panting delicately.

“Ah’m sorry, ‘Lena. I thought.. I thought Bill was real hurt,” Rekka explained, too relieved to worry about scaring Helena too much.

“Oh. I see. No matter, I am certainly happy that was not the case, Bill,” Helena said. Her horn glowed, confirming her feelings.

She noticed the scattered broken bodies, her light failing. Gasping, she covered her mouth with her hands. Felix stepped up to block her view, pulling her gently into his embrace. She flung her arms around him gratefully as she shuddered.

“Shit, sorry Helena. I wish you hadn’t seen this,” Bill told the poor woman. She was too good a person to be hanging out with him.

Bill was grateful she was too good a person to agree.

Larry’s pained intake of breath caught his attention then, he’d tried to grab Tabitha’s tail by reflex.

“Right, damn. Helena, I’m sorry, but could you do something about Larry’s arm or shoulder or whatever? Looks like it hurts,” Bill requested.

“Yes, of course, I will manage. I apologize for my reaction, please do not believe I am upset with you, I know you do not take joy in what you must do. Larry, if it is not too painful for you, would you please step over here?” she requested. She had turned to face away from the carnage, indicating the clear space in front of her.

“Sure thing, Helena. Don’t worry, we understand,” Larry replied.

Bill decided to turn his attention to other matters, something he had nearly forgotten.

“Sword! Where the fuck did you go?” Bill yelled in the general direction he’d seen it flying off.

“Here, sir! Worry not, I’ve struck a tree this time. I do hope everything went well,” it called cheerfully, happy to at least not be stuck into a rock again.

Bill chuckled, pulling from Rekka gently and picking his way carefully through the undergrowth towards the voice until he spotted the sword lodged in a thick oak’s trunk, the ground clear under its huge branches. Or whatever the oak equivalent this world had, he never saw the trees for the forest.

“Hey buddy, thanks for blocking whatever that priest threw at me. You do that trick with the angel, too?” Bill asked, “Figured I’d have to be holding you.”

“What? Nonsense. I was never imbued to block holy miracles, the enemies of mankind do not make use of them. I fully expected you to fizzle away into ash from what the priest conjured. Good job there, what? Made of sterner stuff I see,” he congratulated, “I don’t know what you mean by angel, I’m afraid I can’t see much from here. I will say you absolutely need to be holding me, or at least wearing me to take advantage of my protections.”

“No shit? Fucking Merlin comes through again, I guess. Could have spared a moment for my clothes, that chainmail fit real good. I didn’t bring a damn extra shirt, either,” Bill sighed.

He wondered what other surprises were in store for him. He had the horrible feeling this might all be a practical joke, the next time he ran into an angel he’d be flipping it off with a cocky grin right up until she zapped him like an ant under a magnifying glass.

He could see Merlin bent over his crystal ball getting a good laugh out of that one, then looking for his next stupid victim in some backwoods shithole.

“Hey! Bill! What gives? Why’s this guy still breathing?” Larry called.

“Oh yeah. Shit. Tonight has been a real cluster,” Bill sighed.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Bill yelled back.

“Let’s go, sword,” Bill said, reaching over to tug him free.

Pain lanced up his arm, nearly dropping him to his knees.

“FUCK!” he roared, staring at his shaking gauntleted hands. He’d been desperately hoping the pain would start to fade and let him get away with some superficial burns. Now, he just knew his fingers were nothing but charred bones in there. The skin visible under the bracers was an alarming red, blisters already forming.

“Sir?” the sword asked, surprised.

“Bill!” Rekka cried, crashing through the undergrowth to reach his side.

“It’s ok, Rekka,” Bill said as she ran up to him, hoping he wasn’t lying as much as he felt.

He held his arms stiffly in front of him, indicating with his pained expression that touching them would not be fun.

“Looks like Helena is gonna have to weave her magic again, ‘fraid I burned myself doing something stupid,” Bill explained, trying not to worry her too much.

“Helena, come quick!” Rekka called, not happy at all.

Helena and Felix trotted along the trail Rekka had thoughtfully bulldozed, grateful to leave the scene of the massacre.

“What is wrong? Are you injured Bill?” she asked with distressed concern.

“Yeah. Got burned a bit,” Bill replied. He was beginning to feel woozy.

“Please, let me see,” Helena requested, stepping forward. As she raised her hands over his arms her surprised intake of breath confirmed all of Bill’s fears.

“Bad, huh?” Bill asked.

“Why did you not come to me first, Bill? This is simply terrible. Did you fall into the fire?” she asked. She hovered her hands down his arms, wincing slightly when she got to his gauntlets.

“Nope, had to tear some kind of forcefield apart, it didn’t want to cooperate,” Bill explained.

“Oh dear. Your hands are simply.. No matter, I will fix this,” Helena stated firmly.

“Great, don’t suppose you can do it without me peeling these gauntlets off?” Bill asked, “I mean that literally.”

“I am sorry, Bill. They must be removed, doing so after a healing would be nearly impossible. I am afraid I will need Larry’s hands for this, his arm should be limber enough now,” She explained.

Bill nodded.

“Yo, Larry! Wanna see something really cool?” Bill called.

The man jogged over, looking interested.

“Psyche, now you gotta assist with surgery. Hope you have a strong stomach, looks like Freddy Kruger and then some,” Bill drawled.

Larry scowled at him until Helena waved him over, he’d been looking forward to something interesting.

“You will need to be delicate, I am afraid the armor will not simply fall free,” Helena instructed. “Bill, I will suppress your pain, but please do not try to pull your hands out by force, this would be very counterproductive.”

“Yeah, how many fingers do you think I’d manage to rip out of there?” Bill snarked, then felt like shit as Rekka whimpered. He managed a smile, hoping to comfort her. He decided not to ask Helena if she could regrow them.

Larry looked like he was about to vomit as he’d earlier promised. Helena did not respond, closing her eyes while singing away his pain, for which he was truly grateful. Rekka stared into Bill’s calm face, her own expression showing enough pain for both of them.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Ok. Let’s get these bracers off, I guess,” Larry muttered, “Damn, dude. This metal is still hot.”

Larry slipped the buckle free and began peeling off the bracers. As Bill had been afraid, literally peeling. Larry tried not to freak out, the warped metal would have been very easy for his dwarfs to pound into something else. Bill watched with a detached sense of horror, sure if Helena were not here he would be dead from infection within the week.

Bill wished he was capable of looking away, but he’d never been able to do so when his own injuries were concerned. Even when getting stitches as a child due to one of his earliest acts of stupidity he had been unable to do anything but watch with morbid focus. The doctor performing the sutures had been the first person to give him the look of perplexed pity and concern he now received every few days in this new world.

Soft paws cupped his face then, gently pulling him away from the sickening sight. Rekka looked up at him with loving concern, melting his heart. He gave her a genuine smile then, letting her know he was doing fine. Her ears perked up, her eyes shining as she smiled back. His heart lifted as her tail began to wag. He was proud of her holding together so well, were the situation reversed he knew he’d be a complete mess.

“This fucking sucks, dude. What the hell did that priest do to you? And why is he still breathing?” Larry asked as he threw the bracer into the trees with disgust. He bent to the task of removing the other one.