Righteous Rejects of Heaven: Chapter 5 – End of the Journey

Chapter 5 – End of the Journey

Evander always told me to make time for rest and not be all about business despite the importance of my job like how many politicians, bishops, and businessmen are. He said it would spoil my soul and upset God since He taught us to rest and not rush things. Perhaps, my time with David will be full of rest, and if he does try getting secrets out of me, I’ll make sure his efforts are in vain. I do hope it will go well since I have particular feelings for him. Will he like me back in the same way that I like him?

My high elf father from Oron and my mother from Polypus loved each other despite being from different races and the stigma of half-breeds in certain cultures, especially that of the high elves. Evander and his allies didn’t mind me being of mixed race. In fact, it was one of the reasons why he welcomed me into his ranks. Only those of mixed race can use the magic and abilities of both races, so I guess it was obvious that he would be interested in my abilities. Part of me also wondered if it was part of his plan since my father and mother were already his allies. Nevertheless, his kindness and vision to help the world is what keeps me fighting for him and I hope that David will return my feelings to him when I reveal them on our date.

For now, I should focus on business as we overlook Constantinople from a vantage point with our allies in the St. Dismas group and legions of orcs and knights of Canis. Ahead of us is an army that seems to be twice our number with ratmen, beastmen, and traitors from other races that stand between us and the gates of the city. On the various skyscrapers and tall churches are the abominations with tree-like bodies with more ratmen being formed from them and on the largest church is Vicar Sylvatic. He obviously wants us to attack first so he can show off the strength of his army, but his pride and confidence in this army of scum and abominations will fail him.

“It looks like we won’t be able to strike in the shadows much during this battle,” David says to Rota.

“That’s fine with me. I’ll fight with my bare teeth if it means that the Vicar dies today,” he says.

The rest of the St. Dismas group agree to fight with us though they will all be in the back and mostly fight in the city. Our party gathers together to formulate a plan for ourselves while the orcs and knights of Canis prepare themselves to act as our distraction.

“Marcel will form their white sun fireball with the rest of the white flame knights to thin out the army before we attack. From there, Saanvi will conjure an ice elephant to act as our battering ram and then the big guy, Hossam, and Lieselotte will be our next battering ram as we make our way through the church the Vicar is in,” David says.

“And where will you be?” Lieselotte asks.

“I’ll mask our advance with dark fog and spew acid from my hands to take care of long-ranged targets you and Hossam can’t along with Saanvi who will be doing the same with her magic. What do you think?”

“I think it’s a good plan,” Hossam says.

“It’s simple but effective. I like it,” Marcel says.

“Well, if you think so, then I guess I have to agree,” Lieselotte admits.

“I’d like to add that I can teleport us just in case we get overwhelmed though I will need to catch my breath for a minute or two before I can be of use again,” Saanvi says.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Now, are we ready to bring God’s justice to this corrupted vicar?”

We all yell in agreement and then act in accordance with our plan. The white flame knights of Canis create their huge fireball and melt a majority of our enemies defending the gates of Constantinople even as the enemy fires its canons at us. While this is happening the orcs and knights of Canis charge at the city’s gates and we charge on an icy elephant I’ve conjured. David uses his dark fog to mask our advance, which throws off the aim of the canons that nearly hit us. Thankfully, we can make it to the gates and bust through them as we charge through the city.

Above us, we see that the abominations are quickly creating more ratmen much to their detriment as their bodies begin falling apart since they can’t regenerate fast enough to keep up with the rate at which they are reproducing soldiers. Seeing that we are going to be overwhelmed, I use my high elf magic to blind the ratmen before teleporting us close to the church the Vicar is at with my magic from Polypus. This causes the icy elephant to slowly begin to fall apart, but it manages to stay together until it breaks apart as we bust through the doors of the church. David carries me in his arms as he and the rest of the party leap from the broken elephant. He smiles and winks at me as he does so much like a storybook hero. I could’ve leaped by myself but wanted this to happen because I need to conserve my strength for more important matters.

David defends me while I catch my breath and the other three clear the enemies around us. Once I do, I use my high elf magic to melt the ratmen with beams of light and impale and freeze them with Polypus ice magic. David conjures more dark fog to mask our movements so he can enter it to dodge attacks and quickly traverse to places to get rid of ranged foes. Hossam, Lieselotte, and Marcel carve through the many ratmen around them and despite appearing to wade through tides of enemies, they manage to dispel them as they charge up the steps of the church as we all make it to the very top where Vicar Sylvatic continues to create ratmen.

“My reign will not end here! Tremble in fear for you face God’s chosen one!” the Vicar says.

Using all of our abilities and skills together, we begin our final attack against the Vicar. Marcel, Hossam, and Lieselotte carve through the ratmen around him and those that he produces while David and I attack him from a distance. David melts him and his spawn with his acids while I use the magic from both of my bloodlines to wear him down. By the end of our assault, the Vicar is unable to produce any more ratmen and is nothing more than a blob of flesh clothed in his tattered papal clothing. Even so, he lives on and tries to fight us with his papal scythe that he can barely swing. Each one of us then attacks him with our own attacks to finally finish him off and bring an end to his miserable life.

“You can’t…you can’t kill God’s chosen…I…I…St. Peter, intercede for me…” Vicar Sylvatic says in his final words.

“Was he asking for St. Peter to help save his soul or to help him continue fighting?” Marcel asks.

“Regardless, we must pray for his soul,” Hossam says as he clasps his hands together.

“Pray? For trash like him?” Lieselotte says.

“Sin makes us trash like him and he is a Pope, so we must pray for his soul,” David says as he prays.

“Tch. Fine.”

We all pray for the Vicar’s soul and those who died today. After we’re done, we look at what’s happening below us. From this height, I see the armies of orcs and knights of Canis finishing off the Vicar’s forces and chasing them away from the city. While my friends catch their breaths and congratulate one another on a job well done, I charge my teleportation spell and then cast it, which saps most of my strength. Evander, several mages from Polypus and Ordon, and a seemingly normal human woman with red and black hair appear on the roof. Everyone in my party is surprised to see this except for David. The mages and high elves use their magic to teleport the Vicar’s body away before teleporting to the other abominations and teleporting them away as well.

“Well done, all of you,” Evander says. “You’ve secured a future for the Church and humanity through your heroic deeds. I hope the bishops reward you enough so that you can live in peace for the rest of your lives.”

“What are you planning to do with the Vicar’s body and the bodies of the abominations, Evander?” David asks.

“It’s just research to create medicine, to repair tissue at a rapid rate, I assure you. Is this the man you are so fond of, Saanvi?”

“He is,” I admit.

“David, I know you wish to learn more, so you will in your future work with Saanvi. I’ll contact you when that day happens.”

“I look forward to it.”

“I’ve…we’ve also arranged a day to be together. Just the two of us,” I say.

“Ah, so you’re an even better man than it seems, David. Do ensure you don’t break Saanvi’s heart like you did with Viktoria’s?”

“I’ll try not to,” David says with a cocky smile.

After the battle and we head back to the Vatican to report our success, we are celebrated as heroes along with those in the St. Dismas group and the orcs and knights of Canis. Bernhard begins to colonize Eastern Europe claiming Constantinople and giving its brother nation, Canis, some of the land as well much to the dismay of the Church and other kingdoms. Hossam is now a guard at the Vatican while Marcel and Lieselotte have settled down for a bit to raise a family. Meanwhile, David and I are on our first date, or at least what I want to be a date. He offers me his hand with a smile that I take with a smile of my own as we begin our day together, the first of many more to come.

The End

Righteous Rejects of Heaven: Chapter 4 – Blade of the Dark used for the Light

Chapter 4 – Blade of the Dark used for the Light

I already had a backup plan before even knowing that Marcel’s squad was wiped out. You must, as a member of the St. Dismas group. After explaining to the other four of my contacts within Eastern Europe that aren’t too far from Constantinople, I tell them that they’re our current best shot at getting rid of Vicar Sylvatic.

“Why am I not surprised that the thieves guild have people here?” Lieselotte says.

“I, for one, am glad that David’s friends are so resourceful,” Hossam says.

“Thanks, big guy. Now, we should head out to meet them unless someone else has any better alternatives. Saanvi?” I say while turning to her.

“Nope. Nothing. My friends aren’t in the area and are unable to help at the moment,” she says.

‘At the moment’ she says. I know that the most skilled mages in Polypus can teleport themselves and others around though they typically are only able to teleport within a small area rather than being able to teleport long distances. Still, I know she must have her plans and backup plans as an agent of Evander and the high elves. I just haven’t figured out if those plans completely align with the Church’s, as a whole, so for now, I’ll trust her. She doesn’t seem like a bad person, but her kind demeanor may be a ruse and I know all about them.

While heading to the hidden location of the St. Dismas group with everyone, I remember all the thefts and tricks I’ve pulled up to this point. Stealing from cardinals and archbishops who stole treasures and gold from the spoils of conflicts, pretending to be a guard in a cabal to expose corrupt generals, running across rooftops while being shot at by guards, and sneaking through an undercity of ratmen to rescue the women kept there are just a few of the things I remember from my decades of service to the good thieves of the St. Dismas group. One memory always pops up no matter how much I try to repress it and that’s the memory of the affair I had with a friend’s wife. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped saying sorry in prayers to him despite feeling he’s forgiven me somehow. I’ve distanced myself from Viktoria so she could find a better man and have been trying to distance myself from my past self ever since the day of that great shame and I hope that I never do such a thing again.

We’re close now to the hidden location where my contacts are hiding. Heading into a trench that’s covered by decaying leaves and branches, we find a stone door that hardly stands out from the rock surrounding it. I knock seven times and wait seven seconds for someone to answer the door as is customary for members of the group. A ratman cloaked in rags moves aside the stone door to which Lieselotte immediately unsheathes her axe.

“Hold up there. This one is a friend and member of my group,” I say.

“Is it now?” she asks, wary of the ratman.

Orcs and their brothers in Canis always attack ratmen on sight unless it’s obvious they’re friendly such as those within cities and towns or when they’ve laid down their weapons and are kneeling on the ground. I can’t blame them since ratmen are mostly hostile towards people who aren’t them and have a history of pretending to be innocent only to kill, steal, or kidnap when the opportunity arises.

“He is. Do you see him or the others in there swarming to attack us?”

“You have some strange friends in your group, David.”

“Obviously. It’s a strange group for strange men such as myself.”

“With those pleasantries aside, let us go inside before someone sees us,” the ratman says as we do what he says.

Most of the people inside this hideout are ratmen along with some dark elves, high elves, orcs, and even a few men from Corvus who act as soldiers and guards rather than the typical thief found in our guild.

“Rota, is it?” I ask.

“It is, and you would be David, am I correct?” the ratman asks.

“You are. I assume you’ve been expecting me?”

“Yes, we have. You know you were supposed to come here regardless of the status of your allies. It was part of the Pope’s plan, after all. Speaking of friends, I assume they were wiped out?”

“Yes. It’s a tragedy.”

“Yes, but there’s nothing to worry about. The leaders of Bernhard and Canis are sure to throw more troops at the Vicar’s forces since victory is near. In terms of your other friends, how are they?”

“They’re a trustworthy bunch. I can even see us working together in the future if we can arrange it.”

“Even this other friend of yours,” Rota says while pointing at Saanvi.

“Yes, if our interests align,” Saanvi says.

“Of course, of course.”

“Can we stop it with the talking and get to enact whatever secret plans you have?” Lieselotte says.

“Yes. Come this way. I’m just as anxious to see the Vicar dead as much as you are, especially after what he’s done to me.”

All ratmen are men, however, they have experimented on their bodies to make them appear and sound female in an attempt to make them bear children with Rota being one of them, so I’m assuming that’s the reason why Rota wants him dead. I can’t imagine all the torture and failed attempts that he had to suffer through, so I won’t bother asking about it or pointing it out to anyone. He leads us to a supply room where people are gearing up with the many weapons and armor pieces that could supply a legion of troops.

“As you can see, we have been preparing to move and haven’t just been sitting here waiting for you,” Rota says.

“Look at all of this. Hey, I recognize some of this stuff as being specialized gear and weapons forged by famous blacksmiths from Canis, Bernhard, and Leo. Did you people steal these because I recall them disappearing without a trace?” Lieselotte says.

“We stole it from those who tried to steal it and kept it with the permission of our superiors in the Vatican. We were meant to get a share of them anyway for this exact moment.”

“We steal from those who have stolen and kill only when absolutely necessary. That is the way of our guild,” I add.

“It’s kind of like how we take what we want after our battles without giving much back to the Church,” Marcel says.

“But we aren’t so secretive about it and the Vatican gets their tithe eventually,” Lieselotte says.

“And Bernhard and Canis take land without letting the Church know,” Rota comments. “We know that both kingdoms want to take over the territory held by the ratmen and are already colonizing it as if it were already yours.”

“Yeah, and? We’ve earned it fair and square through blood, sweat, and tears.”

“I know that you have influence with your superiors because of your reputation and will listen to even more after you kill the Vicar. The Church simply wants your people to hold off claiming land and the spoils until things settle down and everything can be distributed properly and would like you to let your leaders know this.”

“Tch. They can tell them that themselves and they probably won’t listen.”

“That’s why we’re asking you to tell them.”

“Yeah, asking me to tell them rather than asking me to ask if they’re fine with giving up on rewards we fought to obtain and fighting a war that the Church didn’t give their full support in until years of bloodshed passed and ratman undercities were discovered under the Vatican. Shouldn’t you be telling this to someone else as well or do the elves get special treatment?” Lieselotte says while gesturing over to Saanvi.

“No, they don’t get any special treatment. In fact, we’re not sure who to keep more of an eye on.”

“You have no reason to be concerned about us. We’re willing to negotiate and compromise where necessary,” Saanvi says.

“And where would you compromise? Evander and the high elves rather agree to deals that aren’t heavily weighted in their favor,” I ask.

“Friends, let us not argue about this. Let us fight our common foe and leave the politicking to our leaders,” Hossam says.

“The big guy is right. Let’s save this for when we’re not pressed for time and have a bigger fish to fry.”

“I’m with them. My God-given duty is to be a husband and a knight, not a politician, king, or bishop,” Marcel adds.

Lieselotte and Saanvi agree to stop the argument and we start going over the plan we have. Rota takes out a map that is marked with descriptions detailing who goes where and what role they have to play. Our target is an outpost and an undercity below it that lies outside of Constantinople. Getting rid of this will allow whatever supposed army Bernhard will send an easier time to assault the city. The knights, soldiers, and guards in our group will attack the outpost on the surface while the thieves and assassins will take the tunnels to attack the undercity, which includes most people here though we will be divided and on our own to begin with and then meet up at certain points.

Everyone agrees with the plan, since there is no better alternative, and we head out. Being on my own in these tunnels feels lonely for some reason. I guess it’s a result of being with a group for so many days that I’m used to having someone watch my back. When I first started with the St. Dismas group, I had someone watching my back so that the guild knew they could trust me. After that, I was on my own for most assignments since doing them alone was optimal. Now, I understand why people prefer adventuring in groups while taking certain roles in it. Still, it is better that I be alone for now for this task so that it will be completed properly.

I traverse the dimply lit tunnels by using my dark elf magic to become one with the shadows so that none of the guards in the tunnel can see or run into me since I am little more than a thin surface traveling along wherever the darkness is deepest on the wall, floor, and ceiling. These tunnels are kept as dark as possible since the ratmen can see in them as clearly as day, but dark elves and even men from Noctua can do the same, so it’s no issue for me. After slipping through the guards, I enter the undercity, a place of violence, debauchery, and horrific human experiments. The screams of people being tortured seem to be this place’s background music because of how often I hear it in every undercity I’ve been in, but what’s different about this one is that it’s not on high alert despite it being one of the last bastions of defense of Constantinople.

“You’d think it’d be better guarded,” I whisper to myself knowing that Saanvi is behind me.

“I’m glad that it isn’t,” she says. “I’m impressed that you knew I was behind you, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given your reputation.”

“I aim to impress. After this, I could help you on your next assignment.”

“Only if Evander allows it.”

“I meant it as more of a friendly hang-out rather than being on one of your secret missions.”

“Of course you did.”

Well, I tried to shoot my shot. I guess I’ve never been that good at hiding my true motives from operatives like Saanvi.

“You ready to head into the lowest area of the undercity?”

“I am.”

“Would you want to head down there together? I could get rid of guards along the way to make it easier for you.”

“I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”

Going back into the shadows, I make sure Saanvi is safe by eliminating guards that may see her. It doesn’t matter if the bodies are seen down here since ratmen typically kill each other, even the guards, and the people down here seem to be celebrating something. I don’t even think Saanvi needs my help that much anyway since she teleports from hiding place to hiding place, and she tricks the minds of the ratmen she comes across to act as if they didn’t she her and start trouble for her away from where we’re heading. By the time we make it to the lowest area, we hardly have to take care of any guards and can go into the space where the undercity is being supported without issue. Even though the large steel buildings in this undercity reach the very top of the cave that is hard to see and seem indestructible, taking down the supports here will make everything crumble in on itself.

While melting the supports with the acid that spews from my hands, I ask Saanvi, “You haven’t used those mind spells on any of us, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. I only used them on the ratmen because they are easily manipulated by their desires to kill and rape,” she says. “If I needed to know something, I would’ve asked. Everyone in the party is honest and would’ve told me the honest truth.”

“Even our deepest secrets?”

“Maybe not that, especially from you, but I think I know enough. There’s no need to be suspicious of me. Aren’t we friends?”

“We’re friends?”

“Yes, friends that fight alongside one another. I’m sure Evander will allow us to go out on certain assignments together, which is what you really want and have been incessantly asking for.”

“So, we’re just business friends rather than real friends that will grab dinner with one another and talk about more casual things together?”

“I’ll think about your offer to ‘hang out’ after this.”

Soon, the supports of the undercity start to break apart and Saanvi and I begin our escape. In their panic, the ratmen push each other aside, trampling, and killing one another to get to the exits, however, because of the damage we’ve done, most of the exits collapse in on themselves leaving only one. As we race through the exit, we come across our allies who help cover our escape and help us kill the surviving ratmen on the surface. Once the exit collapses, the last of the ratmen lay dead, and we see the ground collapsing confirming the collapse of the undercity, we regroup with Rota and the rest of my guild.

“With most or all of the ratman dead, our allies should have no trouble reaching Constantinople,” Rota says. “I have heard news of a force comprised mostly of orcs aided by the knights of Canis coming this way so we should wait for their-”

The ground suddenly shakes before several large abominations pop out of them. These abominations are different than the usual kind that are as large as elephants or lions with multiple ratmen and human heads and limbs. Instead, these ones are more tree-like and have more bodies and faces of various sizes writhing in them trying to get out. The ones that do get out are hardly alive and try to attack us. The larger abominations move in the same way a ‘normal’ one would, which catches some of us off guard. Even Saanvi underestimates them leading to me tackling her to save her from one of their attacks. Once the shock of seeing them and getting used to their movements wears off, we kill them and the things they spawn.

“So, how does that hang-out sound now?” I ask Saanvi.

She smiles and says, “I’ll consider it more honestly now. Thanks for saving me.”

“Enough flirting. David, have you seen these things before?” Rota asks.

“I haven’t. Saanvi and I didn’t even come across them in the undercity.”

“So, they were hidden enough to be out of sight, but not in public to deploy them like the other abominations.”

“They’re the secret weapon that the Vicar has been hiding from us then. I thought that their exhausting their supply of mothers was suspicious but didn’t think the result would be something like this.”

“How could you not? The Vicar and his men are sicker than you can imagine.”

“Well, I can at least imagine that they have tougher forms of these abominations in Constantinople, which is why it’s been so relatively easy to get this close to them.”

“Exactly, so we should definitely wait for reinforcements to arrive.”

“Right.” Turning back to Saanvi, I ask, “Did you happen to know anything about these things?”

“Nothing more than you do,” she says.

“Does Evander’s plans have anything to do with them?”

“He does plan on experimenting on them.”

“Really? I’m more surprised that you told me than Evander’s plans to experiment on them.”

“What’s the harm in telling you? We’re friends and if I thought you’d be a threat to Evander’s plans…”

“I know what would happen to me if you thought that. I’ve been on the other end of the blade who have threats to the Church.”

“Will our day together come with our weapons being at each other’s throats?”

“I hope not. I’m sure both of us could go a day without secrecy and mistrust, so I’ll try to make it as relaxing and casual as possible.”

“Heh, I look forward to it.”

I guess our little date is confirmed. Here’s hoping my half-truth comes to be the whole truth for our day together.

Righteous Rejects of Heaven: Interlude – A Tyrant’s Desires

Interlude – A Tyrant’s Desires

As I look from my balcony on Constantinople and the wasteland ahead of me, I reflect on the fruits of my work. I, Vicar Sylvatic, was crowned Pope of God’s Holy Church, given supreme authority over the Earth, and now the champion of the new humanity. After the event of Divine Providence that blew up the technology of the past and mutated the men of Eastern Europe into ratmen, I knew beyond any doubt that we are blessed by God. We are many and our bodies allow us to be more intelligent and stronger than the orcs, men of the southern kingdoms, elves, beastmen of the Far West, and men of the Asian regions. It is said that our greatest weakness is our inability to have females and reproduce without forcing other women to die to bear our children. This is nonsense.

Soon, we will be able to reproduce without the use of women and the world will rightfully be mine and under the control of ratmen. Afterward, the world will only be ratmen. It doesn’t matter if the savages of Bernhard send their armies aided by their hot-headed brothers in Canis nor does it matter that the men of the Far East have broken through the barriers we used to keep them from the rest of the world. Above all, it doesn’t matter that they all are closing in here because God is with me. He has approved of every action I’ve taken from birth until this moment and made what others called sins into my virtues.

My forces move to place the final pieces of my plan into place. Ascariasis, my head researcher, and Ischemic, my general and experimenter, have sacrificed themselves for my plans and are now bearing fruits that come alive from their tree-like bodies. From them and many others, the new humanity will have an endless supply of soldiers and citizens. Looking up at the barely visible sun in the sky, I pray that God will accomplish my plans and that the next generation will flourish with me leading it. It is my divine right after all as Vicar of my church.

Righteous Rejects of Heaven: Chapter 3 – The Fifth Party Member

Chapter 3 – The Fifth Party Member

Knights and soldiers of all kinds in Canis were taking trips out to different kingdoms and places with more scenic views to rest and recuperate. I was averse to doing this at first, but after being convinced by fellow white flame knights, I gave it a chance, especially since they said it would help me fight better. Even though I went to places that required me to wear heavy clothes and get used to using my flame magic more effectively for long periods so I wouldn’t exhaust myself while trying to stay warm in what was called pleasantly cool by the natives, I found the experience life-changing. In the battles I fought afterward, I was better than I ever was before and beat my superiors in sparing matches.

It was then that I became an advocate for taking the same kinds of rests I did and would try to take as many trips as I could to experience them as many times as possible. This ended up backfiring a bit when I was caught off guard by orc bandits and was almost killed by them if it weren’t for Lieselotte who saved me. She was hunting for them in this area with a squad of other orcs but went out on her own to find them herself. I fell in love with her at first sight and managed to convince her to rest with me, which was easy to do since she was injured. While we spent time together, she developed the same love that I have for her along with the want to take breaks like this.

Lieselotte and I got married shortly after, which was not short enough for Lieselotte who expected me to ask her for marriage a month after we met. We fought together in every battle we faced after marriage and promised our families that we would settle down and have children after the major ratmen threat to the world was dealt with. In the present day, the only reason why I went with my teammates to face the ratmen without Lieselotte and her party is because we didn’t want to wait for the archbishops to officially sanction their group and knew that Vicar Sylvatic could be enacting his plans while nothing was being done. I also wanted to save Lieselotte from the horrors found deeper in the wastelands of Eastern Europe, so that she wouldn’t have to experience them. No one should experience the horrors of war and that’s why I fight as much as I can so that peace may reign in this world scarred by constant wars. I’ve tried explaining all this to Lieselotte and her party after I introduced myself to the other three only for her to slap me in the face.

“I don’t care what lies ahead of us. As long as we’re together, we can overcome it. Remember that you’re with me until death and even then, we’ll never be separated from one another,” Lieselotte says while holding my hands.

Heh, I always did it when she showed both her rough and soft sides.

“I’m sorry, my love. Now that we’re together, nothing that the Vicar throws at us can stop us from delivering God’s justice to him,” I say.

“What about the rest of the orcs and knights of Canis? Will they help us or are they already all dead?” David asks.

“They should still be alive. We’ve faced no end of ambushes by the ratmen, the traitors, and beastmen who ally themselves with the Vicar, so I along with several other knights decided to hold off this latest ambush while they went ahead to an outpost to get help.”

“They aren’t back yet and the rest of your fellow knights are dead. That can’t be a good sign,” Hossam says.

“The big guy is right. We should go meet up with them to make sure they’re all right.”

“I wasn’t going to argue with you. I’m anxious to see if they’re okay and haven’t run into any more trouble along the way.”

“Let’s go then. We don’t have a moment to waste,” Lieselotte says.

I get on Lieselotte’s horse and ride with her to the outpost that I’ve marked on our maps. Being with her like this reminds me of the days we wandered the lands on horseback with no destination in mind while only wanting to spend as much time together as possible to keep the good times going forever. Remembering those times keeps me concentrated and motivated to see them again. My daydreaming is cut short as another ambush lies in our path. This time, beastmen and traitors from Bernhard and Canis lie ahead of us and come out from the dead trees behind us.

Immediately leaping into action and sprouting wings of white flame from my back, I use my white flame magic to blind and melt the enemies behind us. This same magic that turned my skin white and black is born of a true hatred for sin and evil and love for God and neighbor, and as such, doesn’t harm my allies even if it touches them. Many of our attackers die instantly screaming in pain as they go down. They try using ranged magic and arrows and attacking me from below the ground but I quickly dodge them and am aided by Lieselotte who pushes me out of the way of their attacks and kills them shortly after. She then quickly runs to aid her party once she sees that I’m safe.

Seeing her fight so effectively with others shows me how much she’s grown and it’s a pleasure to see. She was once a loner who pushed herself away from others. Now, she’s putting herself in danger for others and saving them. Before I can even join the fight, it's over and all our ambushers lie dead.

“There seems to be no end to the ambushes,” Saanvi says.

“And they’re employing other races,” Hossam adds.

“It’s just a sign of desperation. The Vicar knows he will meet his end soon and is in denial by delaying the inevitable,” Lieselotte says, a view that I echo.

“I don’t think they would just throw away their lives even if they were threatened,” David suggests. “The Vicar may have some bigger plans that gave them the confidence to fight for him.”

“Whatever the case is, we should hurry and bring an end to him,” I say to which the party agrees.

After we head out, we’re relieved to not be accosted by any more ambushes though at the same time, it’s worrying. Surely, my fellow knights are holding them off with the help of the orc and Canis knights from the outpost. We haven’t come across any bodies along the way to the outpost nor any signs of a struggle, only footprints and horse prints. It isn’t until the outpost is in sight do we begin to start worrying again as we see that it’s on fire with severe damage done to its walls and buildings. David advises us to be careful because of how quiet it is and we follow his advice. Going into the outpost that looks like a pseudo-town combined with a military camp, we’re ambushed by injured ratmen and find allied soldiers who are mostly dead or on the verge of death.

Thanks to David’s advice, we manage to clear out the outpost and find more allies who are hold up in some of the buildings. Saanvi doesn’t have time to heal all of the wounded and we don’t have much time to catch our breaths as a horde of ratmen, beastmen, and bandits approach from the distance. They make their arrival known by hailing down cannonballs that explode into acid, fire magic, ice magic, and arrows on us killing most who were outside and happened to be in the buildings that the attacks landed on. Those who can fight and even those who are injured take up their arms and immediately rush into battle. I along with Hossam and Lieselotte head into battle with them while David and Saanvi aid us from a distance with their magic.

To start the fight, I hang back before conjuring a large ball of white fire that lights up the gloomy dark sky as if it were a sun. I then throw it up into the sky where it rains down fire that targets our enemies. With that to aid us, I throw myself into the fray with my mace and axe raised high with the memories of my fellow soldiers giving me strength. I remember who I’m fighting for and push myself harder. I remember the precious moments with Lieselotte and go even further. Looking around me, I see the dead bodies of friends who I’ve shared laughs and fought in many battles with, and push myself beyond my limits.

It's then that I remember the many bastard children born because of the ratmen’s experiments and the mothers that were eaten alive by their children. I remember all the losses, those who valiantly sacrificed themselves to halt the tide of vermin, and who have been tortured by the ratmen for their pleasure and experiments. My flames burn even brighter and more intense now lighting up the entire area and depriving me of my stamina faster. Still, I fight on and keep pushing myself until the last of our enemies lay dead. Lieselotte then holds me from behind as I fall to my knees in exhaustion.

“It’s over, Marcel. You can stop pushing yourself so hard,” she says.

“But…all our allies are dead. We can’t stop moving now. We can’t let this tragedy impede God’s justice on the scum of this land,” I say.

“We’ll find a way to avenge them after we rest and come up with a plan.”

I reluctantly agree as Lieselotte helps me up and brings me back to the outpost. Now, it’s just the five of us against the remainder of the Vicar Sylvatic’s forces. I don’t know of any nearby reinforcements or outposts this close to Constantinople, but still, we can’t back down now. Not after so many lives have been lost. The Vicar may have bought himself some time before his execution, but that time is measured in seconds. He will face justice for what he’s done. The world will become a more peaceful one even if it costs me my life. I only hope and pray Lieselotte and my friends won’t die with me so they can enjoy it.

Righteous Rejects of Heaven: Chapter 2 – Berserk for Love

Chapter 2 – Berserk for Love

Since our first fight together that doubled as a bonding experience, the four of my companions have been riding closer together as if we were a real squad. David and Saanvi are closest to me while Hossam is slightly ahead of us. He’s a guy who reminds me so much of my husband, Marcel, a warrior on the outside and a kind-hearted man within. I didn’t think I’d come to respect these people so quickly, especially Hossam, but I guess it came as a result of what Marcel has done to me and how he opened my heart to loving and appreciating others. I’ll have to make him pay when I see him next.

As we ride through the wasteland of Eastern Europe, we try to follow the most direct path to Constantinople, which is where Vicar Sylvatic is and where Marcel and our allies should be heading. Along the way, we face ambushes from ratmen and find the remains of past battles such as the decayed bodies of soldiers mostly from Bernhard and Canis. Seeing the corpses of these brave soldiers lying here without a proper burial sickens me. It reminds me of the days when the Church didn’t take the threat of the Vicar and his ratmen seriously enough. At the same time, Bernhard and Canis knew the seriousness of the threat and sacrificed many soldiers to hold off the tide of vermin until the Church finally realized the magnitude of the threat and sent soldiers and resources to put an end to it.

Even still, in terms of soldiers, they could only send humans who can enter the wasteland without immediately getting sick and dying. It is up to the kingdoms of Corvus, Canis, Polypus, Bernhard, and elves of the Holy Land to end the tyrannical Vicar’s reign while the other kingdoms must hold the line where they can. The tenacity of the men of Serpentis, the sturdiness of the men of Equus, the pride of the men of Leo, and even the night magics of the men of Noctua mean nothing when they enter the wasteland. They don’t have my disdain, but they do have my indifference as this only shows that the new humanity is chosen by God to rule and live in this new world scarred by the wounds of the past. Not even the men of the Far East from Phasianus and Draco, the men of the Far West kingdoms of the Americas, or scheming elves of the Holy Land can accomplish the things that we have nor do I think they will be able to.

At this rate, the orcs of Bernhard and the fiery men of Canis will take Eastern Europe and become the dominant power in the world and leaders of humanity. When that day comes, the world will be at peace and I’ll finally get to live in the Heaven on Earth that Marcel introduced to me.

“Lieselotte, are you okay?” Hossam says.

“I’m fine,” I say while continuing to eat.

“You looked lost in thought,” Saanvi says.

“Don’t read my mind, half-breed. I know your type from Polypus can.”

“I don’t need to use any magic to see you were thinking about something and I can make a good guess you’re thinking about your husband. Could you tell us more about him?”

“Why would you want to know?”

“We’re going to be fighting with him and getting to know your thoughts on him will make us know more about him and you as well.”

“Fine, if you’re so curious.” Marcel also said to be more open to people. “Marcel is a white flame soldier so he’s able to blind and melt the unclean sinners of the world with his flames and if they don’t die that way, then his fighting skills with his axe and mace will finish them off.”

“I hear many tales of white flame knights that are like that. What makes Marcel so different?” David asks.

“He’s soft, in a good way. He takes it easy and sees the beauty in the world and the good in others. Even though we’re allowed to rest and see goodness in others in Bernhard and Canis, we are more encouraged to fight, and most spar, work on their weapons and armor, and partake in feasts with lots of drinking as our common form of rest. Marcel, on the other hand, brought me out to scenic views in Bernhard, Canis, and other kingdoms where we would just be together with very few words said between us.”

“He sounds like an honorable and pleasant man,” Hossam says.

“First, we have a knight from Corvus who uses a shield and now we have a knight from Canis who takes it easy in nature and in near total silence no less,” David says.

“Not everyone in a kingdom follows every tradition it seems,” Saanvi says.

“Obviously. Most women don’t stylize their hair the same way I do nor are they as nice,” I say.

I can tell David is about to give a snide remark, but stops himself, smiles, and keeps it to himself. It’s a good thing he did because I’d smack him across the face if he said what he had in mind. With our strength and stamina restored, we head back out and are met with trouble soon after. The group falls beneath us as we pass through a field of corpses and ratmen leap at us as they spring their ambush. Immediately, the four of us jump off our horses and get into the fight. With my two-handed axe, I cleave through the ratmen while pushing forward. I dodge very few times and bash with my weapon even fewer.

Offense has always been the best defense for most orc soldiers with prayer, armor, and shields attached to armor being the only real defense we employ in battle. This allows us to keep the pressure on the enemy, not giving them the opportunity to retaliate or formulate a plan. If my companions had the same idea, we’d be pushing back the ratmen faster, but since I need them, I aid them first by getting off the ratmen that are relentlessly stabbing Hossam who is unphased by their attacks, and I saving him from their assault.

“Thank you,” he says.

“Now, I don’t owe you for saving me,” I say before continuing to help Hossam and Saanvi, whose tactics of using magic and trickery don’t help them much in an all-out fight like this and are distasteful to me.

They thank me and we soon push back the enemy who are now retreating with our horses in tow. We chase them in and through their tunnels filled with smaller ratmen trying and failing to ambush us. The ratmen then resort to crawling through holes that appear too small to fit through, but they fit through nonetheless and escape us. At least they were decent enough to leave our horses mostly unharmed. While Saanvi heals them so they can carry us again, Hossam and I ensure the area is secure and that the ratmen here are all dead, which some aren’t, and spring to life for one last attack before being put down for good. I catch David examining the bodies in this tunnel in the corner of my eye and lose sight of him when I stop paying attention to him.

Hossam notices this too and doesn’t take too much convincing to search the tunnels for him. Saanvi tags along and we find David nearby heading back to us.

“Where did you go off to?” I ask.

“Besides going to the bathroom, I was investigating the bodies here. A lot of them are soldiers from Canis and Bernhard. I didn’t find your husband among them, so don’t worry about that, but it’s obvious to me that they’ve been killed recently.”

“Then we aren’t too far from Marcel and should hurry!”

I say while rushing back to our horses.

“We should, especially since they’ve been throwing ratmen children at us as well.”

“Why does that matter?”

“These scum have thrown worse at us.”

Getting back on our horses, we immediately head out of the tunnels and in the direction of Constantinople.

“It matters because they aren’t sparing their young. Ratmen can’t reproduce without forcing a woman to bear their children and be eaten alive by the ten or so that are born afterward and the fact that they’ve used up all their women and are throwing their children at us means they’re getting desperate,” David continues.

“They messed with God and are facing the consequences. This is only the last futile attempt by these scum to fight against our inevitable victory, so let’s deliver the killing blow!”

We make our horses run even faster ahead with me leading from the front. It isn’t long until we hear explosions in the distance and white flames being shot into the sky and in different directions.

“It’s Marcel!” I yell out.

I push my horse to keep going faster until we run head-first into the ratmen attacking him. With Marcel and my party, we quickly push back the ratmen and send them fleeing.

“Lieselotte! I am overjoyed to see you, my love,” Marcel says before I grab him by the neck.

I want to yell and hit him for leaving without me, but I kiss him instead. My life is complete at his side, a Heaven on Earth. Whether we live in the most peaceful lands together or spend it in war for the rest of our lives doesn't matter. As long as I’m with him, my life is complete. 

Righteous Rejects of Heaven: Chapter 1 – First Encounters

Chapter 1 – First Encounters

Ahead of me is Lieselotte who is riding her muscly horse that seems to be doing just fine despite how she’s pushing it to go as fast as it can. Behind me are David and Saanvi who are riding horses from their kingdoms and seem to be talking about something. Meanwhile, I’m riding on my skeletal horse in the middle of them all taking my time on this journey with my mind only on the task and nothing else. So far, we’ve traveled outside of Noctua and made it to the kingdom of Bernhard whose trees seemingly reach the sky and its wildlife is double the size of what is found in other regions of the world. Eventually, David and Saanvi come up to me and Lieselotte and suggest taking a break and we do.

Lieselotte immediately starts a fire, cooking a meal, and eating while the rest of us set up the tents. Not much has been said between us and we’ve hardly stopped to eat or rest for long so I don’t expect this rest to last long either. Resting and eating don’t concern me much being that I’m partly skeletal, but I do hope that my companions aren’t pushing themselves over their limits.

Walking over to Lieselotte, I ask, “Are you well?”

She gives me a strange look as she stops eating with her food still in her mouth.

“Huh? I’m fine. Why are you asking?” she says.

“Because you’ve been really pushing yourself and I wanted to make conversation. We haven’t had any proper introductions with one another or anyone else in the party.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t care about knowing about any of you. Once we’re done with this mission, we’ll probably never see one another again. Also, I’m an orc which means I don’t tire easily and need to eat so I can be at two hundred percent ready to go again, so please, leave me alone.”

I nod and walk over to David and Saanvi whose conversation I seem to have interrupted. They look at me as if studying my appearance so they can be ready for anything I may do or say.

“Are you two well? I’m sure Lieselotte will let you sit with her and share her fire if you ask,” I say.

“She didn’t seem to want your company, so we’ll pass. Besides, we have vegetables and fruits with us that don’t need to be cooked and I’m sure Lieselotte wants to get moving as soon as possible,” David says.

“But you must learn to get along with her. We are a team after all.”

“Is that really why you want us to sit together?”

I nod and David laughs.

“You look scary, but you’re a good man, Hossam. We’ll give it a shot. What do you say, Saanvi?”

“I don’t think anything bad can come of it. Let’s try,” she says.

For the next ten minutes, I sit by the fire with my companions as they make small talk.

“Hey, you, skeleton man. You wanted this conversation to happen, so why don’t you say something?” Lieselotte says.

“I’m happy to stay silent as long as you are enjoying your conversation with one another. I’ll speak if I need to,” I say.

“Then speak because we’ve run out of things to talk about already. Tell us about your adventures, reaper knight.”

“There’s not much to talk about. I’ve wandered the lands from the wastelands of Eastern Europe to the frozen crumbling lands of Polypus helping people wherever I can. There were a couple of times I’ve battled with the bleeding men of Onocrotalus and wandered the nearly impossible-to-reach lands of the Far East.”

“So, you’ve been all over the world, huh?”

“Not exactly. I haven’t been to the Far West across the ocean yet.”

“Could you tell us about your adventures in Equus? I haven’t heard of a single warrior from Corvus who has ever used a shield,” Saanvi asks.

“I don’t use it for defensive measures at all unless you consider a good offense to be the best defense.”

“I do,” Lieselotte says.

“I use it as a close-ranged blunt weapon that’s useful when an enemy gets too close for my slow great sword to deal with, but more importantly, it’s a gift from my friend Louis whom I spent much time with helping to defend his kingdom from bandits and ratmen.”

“What are your plans after this?” David asks. “You don’t seem like the kind of man who settles down.”

“Continue wherever God leads me. Warriors and knights like me from Corvus hardly rest until our final death after we’ve killed every weakness within ourselves. Even then, we may rise from our rest to help defend the kingdom or aid in battles.”

“I could always use your help with the contracts I have to deal with, so you can come back to meet my friends,” David says.

“I’d also appreciate your help. We could use a guard for the work that the high elves do,” Saanvi says.

“Thank you, but again, I go wherever God leads me.”

“Don’t think of giving me that offer because all I’m interested in is straightforward combat, none of that working for a secretive organization nonsense,” Lieselotte says.

David and Saanvi go on to ask Lieselotte about her many adventures and deployments to which Lieselotte goes on and on about the many infamous foes she’s faced and the hordes of orc traitors, ratmen, bandits, and beastmen she’s slaughtered, however, she slows down when she talks about her husband, Marcel, and seems to contemplate her next words before speaking.

“He’s…he’s everything to me, so we can’t stick around here much longer. I don’t want to rest here for my sake if it means that his life is still in danger,” she says.

“I understand. Let’s get moving then,” David says to which Saanvi and I nod in agreement.

The four of us continue riding our horses for miles, taking it slower for moments before again continuing on. We come to a small town on the border between Bernhard and Eastern Europe. The wall here reminds me of the Great Wall that stretched across the lands in the Far East and seems to be built and defended just as heavily. Men from all armies across the world are here such as knights from Noctua, Leo, and Serpentis to the native orcs, their friends from Canis, and some warriors from Corvus and Polypus. The soldiers are playing card and board games with one another and sparring to see which soldiers from certain kingdoms are strongest. We find the captains that command the troops here and request to be let through.

“A walking corpse, an orc, a dark elf, and a half-breed. Yup. A conjured messenger pigeon told us to expect you,” a commander says.

“Your friends passed by here not too long ago. They have quite the head start on you,” another commander says.

“We know and they weren’t supposed to,” Saanvi says.

“Well, you better catch up then. You have our permission to pass through-”

Horns blare out throughout the town signaling to us about an incoming attack. Before we and the soldiers can take our defensive positions, ratmen start coming out of the ground that I could’ve sworn was solid to kill and kidnap whoever they come across. Seeing this, I leap into action using my body as a shield to protect people and my shield and great sword to kill whatever ratmen I come across. The knights from Canis use their fire magic to fill the holes that the ratmen are coming out of with fire while the mages from Polypus conjure animals made of ice to help them. My three companions are doing their part as well with Lieselotte carving her way through the ratmen, David stealthily taking them out from the shadows, and Saanvi using her high elf and Polypus magic to heal the wounded and attack our enemies.

One of the soldiers on the walls informs us of a tide of ratmen coming from the other side. Those who can enter the poisonous lands of Eastern Europe such as my party, the knights of Canis, Corvus, Polypus, and Bernhard make their way past the walls while the normal humans from Noctua, Serpentis, and Leo stay and clean up the town and help the wounded. Charging from the very front, I cleave my way through the ratmen killing dozens at a time with a single swing while their attacks do not affect me despite the many times I am stabbed in the head and chest. I focus my attention on the ratmen trying to slip past me and attack my allies.

“I can handle myself!” Lieselotte says.

“I know, but you still need help. We’re in this together,” I say.

I carve my way through the enemy until reaching David and Saanvi who help get the ratmen off my back.

“Are you okay, Hossam?” David asks.

“I was just about to ask you that, David and Saanvi. I came here to help you. Lieselotte needs our help as well,” I say.

“You looked like you need more help than she does, but okay, let’s go help her,” Saanvi says.

The four of us are now fighting together pushing back the ratmen as their forces are now thinned out and being overwhelmed by our own. It’s at a time like this that I remember the words of my friend, Louis.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Louis once said to me.

“You don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

“You have friends you can rely on.”

“You don’t always have to be fighting.”

Now, I am remembering the voices of the people that I’ve helped too.

“I want to be like you when I grow up.”

“You don’t always have to be so scary and quiet. I can see you’re a kind man underneath those dirty rags and reaper appearance.”

“I can see great things in store for you and you’ll find your place in life at the side of friends.”

“You’ll meet your family again someday and they’ll be proud of what you’ve done.”

“Remember the Church is a family and you never truly fight alone.”

By the time the voices end, I see that the ratmen are in full retreat and the battle is won. It’s then that I seemingly pass out for a second and wake up to see that Saanvi is using her high elf magic to heal me. I’m lying down in a tent along with others who are wounded.

“Huh? Why are you healing me? I’m fine,” I say.

“You didn’t seem that way after you passed out, big guy,” David says.

“It was a pain to get you back here. We needed multiple men to get you on a cart so we could transport you,” Lieselotte says before adding, “Oh, and thanks for saving my life.”

“I’m just doing my job as your companion and a friend. There’s no need to thank me,” I say.

“Don’t make me retract my thanks.”

“You deserve all the thanks you get. Without you throwing yourself into danger the way you did, many more would’ve died and we would’ve been in some big trouble,” David says.

“We want you to be at full strength and in the best condition possible. You’re an integral part of our team,” Saanvi adds.

“Thank you, all of you. I’m beyond thankful to have friends like you,” I say.

David, Saanvi, and Lieselotte rest and eat for a time with me in this tent before we head out again. For all my years of wandering, I think I’ve found a place where I belong and friends that I’ll see for the rest of my life even if we get separated after this mission.

My latest author's edition is done and out today!

Paperback: ($6.99) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5CV3YFZ

Kindle: ($2.99) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW8LTQ21

After hearing directly from God, Dominic is told that he has to find the woman who will be his wife. Once he does, it's clear that she will be a handful to deal with because of her ditziness. Still, she's kind, trusting, and supportive of him, so he'll try to return her feelings and bear with her flaws even though he has feelings for a woman he's been friends with for years. 
This book contains Behind the Story trivia, redone artwork by @An_dres_art, and the original artwork done for it.