The griffon descended toward the Sanctuary with a final series of rapid wingbeats, sending gusts of air across the upper terraces as its claws reached for the platform prepared for arriving recruits.
The twelve candidates clung to whatever was available during the landing, several of them squeezing their eyes shut while others stared downward at the clouds far beneath the sanctuary.
The griffon’s feet struck the platform with enough weight to make it tremble beneath them, and its great wings folded against its body as it lowered its head.
Lennox waited until everyone else began climbing down before carefully stepping onto the platform, his legs feeling strange after so much time in the air, and he breathed out through his nose while looking toward the immense sanctuary surrounding them.
“Finally….”
Others said:
“Skies above…”
“I can actually feel my legs again.”
“Did anyone else see how far down that was?”
“I saw it, and I would like very much to forget.”
A girl near the rear of the group remained seated on the griffon’s back for several seconds, holding a handful of feathers while staring at the Sanctuary with genuine terror, and another recruit had to help her climb down while she complained that whoever invented griffon transportation clearly hated human beings.
Lennox almost laughed, although he thought better of it when the griffon suddenly lowered its head beside him.
He turned toward the creature, wondering what it wanted, only for its beak to nudge him squarely between the shoulder blades and send him stumbling several steps forward.
“Agh!” Lennox caught himself, spun around with his hair flying across his face, and stared at the creature in disbelief. “H-Hey! Stop playing around!”
The griffon merely blinked at him before turning its attention elsewhere, apparently satisfied with whatever tiny correction it had decided to make.
Esme climbed down behind Lennox and stretched her arms above her head, her dark red right eye wandered across the sanctuary with increasing disbelief.
“Amazing…”
White towers rose around them, connected by large bridges and terraces, while golden symbols had been set into the stone beneath their feet and countless figures moved through the giant complex.
Strange creatures made entirely from white light wandered freely between the arriving groups, including four-legged beasts resembling large deer with branching antlers made of glowing white radiance, small winged creatures that looked like foxes with feathers instead of fur, and serpentine creatures that floated several inches above the ground while their bodies gave off a golden glow color.
Esme stared at the armored figures standing farther ahead, each one wearing white fitted armor with enormous wings of light attached to their backs.
“Shit… random Paladins all over the place. Is this the main place for all Paladins?”
Lennox rubbed the back of his neck while taking in the enormous sanctuary.
“Nope. This is just the place where Alpam resides. His archangels and creations reside here. Other Paladins here are just some high ranking ones to watch over the initiation.”
“Nerd.”
“Shut up. I do my research. You didn’t try to learn as much as you could about the Paladins and Alpam before joining?”
Esme replied, “My family worshipped Ifreiti, the goddess of fertility, delving into deep crap about Alpam and learning about the Paladins was considered heresy to those idiots.”
“Damn. That sucks.”
“Sure does. But that’s neither here nor there. This place is incredible!”
“It is, actually.”
The answer seemed to make Esme considerably more interested, although her expression remained suspicious as another luminous creature wandered past them.
It resembled a massive wolf, except its body seemed to have been formed from thousands of tiny points of white light, and every step left little glowing footprints across the white stone before those marks vanished several seconds later.
Above the terraces, giant winged creatures with the bodies of horses and the heads of eagles flew between towers, while several smaller beings with halos around their heads floated beside pillars and watched the arriving recruits with silent curiosity.
The sanctuary itself felt more like an entire civilization devoted to one divine authority, with priests, Paladins, angels, creatures of light, and ordinary servants moving through corridors and courtyards in every direction.
Recruits said:
“Are those things even alive?”
“I think so.”
“How can you tell?”
“It looked at me.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It was enough of one for me. Almost pissed myself.”
A recruit with curly black hair pointed toward one of the enormous creatures sleeping beside a fountain, where a lion-like beast made from light rested its head between its forelegs while several small winged creatures climbed across its back.
Another recruit whispered that the sanctuary was even more beautiful than the stories had described, while a third immediately reminded everyone that they were still recruits and probably shouldn’t wander away from the group unless they wanted to spend the rest of their lives cleaning divine stables.
Esme snorted at that remark, and Lennox found himself smiling despite the knot in his stomach as they continued deeper into the sanctuary.
‘I got this…’
Their path eventually opened into a broad avenue lined with tall white pillars, and a full formation of archangels stood along both sides.
Each one wore that same fitted, magnificent white armor with gold markings running across the chest and shoulders, while pairs of wings extended behind them in rigid displays of divine authority.
Their faces were human enough to be recognizable, yet each possessed eyes filled with pure light and facial expressions so still that Lennox found himself wondering whether they even understood humor or happiness at all.
Every archangel held a blade made of light, and as the recruits approached, the entire formation of archangels raised their weapons in unison and pointed toward the enormous passage leading farther into the sanctuary.
The sight was so imposing that several recruits instinctively straightened their clothes and checked their hair, while one boy whispered a prayer beneath his breath and another recruit immediately copied him because she had apparently forgotten every prayer she had ever learned.
Esme, meanwhile, seemed more interested in testing the limits of divine etiquette, because she casually wandered toward one of the nearest archangels while the others watched with growing concern.
“Hmmm. Let’s see here.”
She stopped directly in front of the armored being and tilted her head from one side to the other, studying its face.
“You guys don’t talk, do ya?”
The archangel didn't reply.
Esme scratched her neck, “Yeah, I think I changed my mind. Just imagine if we get brainwashed like this the longer we are Paladins.”
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The archangel continued to stare at her, Esme stared back, saying, “See? Creepy.”
Lennox barely heard the exchange because his attention had become focused upon what waited at the end of the avenue.
The archangels’ blades all pointed toward a colossal gate constructed from white marble material and gold, its surface covered with symbols Lennox couldn’t recognize and surrounded by those same massively tall pillars that disappeared into the clouds above.
Divine power seeped from the other side of the doors so intensely that the hairs along Lennox’s arms stood up, and his palms became slick while he stared at the entrance from a distance.
‘This feeling…!’
He had imagined meeting Alpam countless times, yet none of those imaginings had prepared him for the sensation of standing near something so overwhelmingly divine that his body seemed to understand the danger before his mind could make sense of it.
‘Toughen up… Lennox! You got this, right? Yeah, I do. But what if I get assigned elsewhere? What if I don’t get in at all? What if I really do get brainwashed?! AGHHH! So many thoughts in my head! Focus!’
His hands closed at his sides as he stared toward the gate, and he drew a little breath through his nose while trying to stop his knees from feeling strangely weak.
‘No… I’m good. I’m unbreakable ... .i can’t get nervous or scared or anything like that.'
A man’s voice suddenly came from somewhere behind them. “N-New recruits, huh? Mind if I… just randomly… attack one of ya?!”
Every recruit turned at once, and Lennox saw a man approaching them with a flask of mead dangling from one hand.
He wore a loose white robe that had clearly seen better days, his bushy brown beard covered most of his jaw, and his messy brown hair stuck in several directions.
His light brown eyes were half-open, his cheeks carried the unmistakable flush of someone who had been drinking for far too long, and his steps wandered across the ground with insolent confidence.
The recruits immediately began backing away while the stranger took another drink from his flask and grinned.
“Uh…”
“Is he serious?”
“A drunk Paladin?”
“He’s a Paladin.”
“That doesn’t answer my question!”
“Wait…that’s…!”
The drunk man suddenly darted toward the nearest recruit and began shadow boxing inches from his face, throwing imaginary punches around the young man’s cheeks while making little noises with his mouth.
The recruit froze to the point that his arms remained suspended at his sides, while the girl beside him covered her mouth and tried not to laugh.
The stranger moved from one recruit to another, pretending to throw punches toward their noses, ears, and chins while wobbling on his feet, and every target reacted differently, with one ducking, another screaming, and a third simply standing there looking as though his soul had temporarily left his body.
The drunk Paladin did all of this while saying, “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”
Recruits exclaimed:
“Stop doing that!”
“Sir, I haven’t even been assigned an Oath yet!”
“Please don’t punch me!”
“I swear I’m not worth attacking!”
The drunk Paladin shadow boxed with Esme, and Esme pretended to parry some attacks, saying, “You’re one of those weird Paladins. You’re pretty famous too.
The drunken Paladin staggered backward several steps and took another drink, looking delighted by the chaos he had caused.
“Mmmm. After deep observation, half of you are gonna die. Butttt… I think I’ll randomly attack someone else….someone who’s been looking at me with some kind of bloodlust—.”
FWOOSH!
He never finished the sentence, because Lennox had already dashed towards him.
Lennox’s eyes locked onto the hidden blade tucked beneath the man’s robe, and he rushed forward with his hand reaching toward it.
The drunk Paladin’s gesture changed for the first time, his flask remaining in one hand while the other moved to intercept Lennox’s reach.
Lennox had anticipated that, however, and at the last moment he pulled his hand away from the concealed weapon and drove his fist toward the man’s face instead, his eyes wide and unblinking as every bit of the brooding act from earlier vanished beneath genuine combat instinct.
The Paladin stopped the punch with the sole of his foot, catching Lennox’s fist before it could reach his face, and the impact sent a sharp jolt through Lennox’s hand that made several recruits gasp.
THOOM!
Lennox stumbled backward and stared at his hand, discovering that several bones had been badly damaged by the impact.
‘He’s that strong….?’
He flexed his fingers once, winced, and looked back toward the drunk Paladin as though the injury were a minor inconvenience compared with the far greater problem of having apparently attacked someone who was allowed to kill him on the spot.
Around him, the other recruits had gone completely silent, staring between Lennox and the man with expressions of outright disbelief, then they said to Lennox:
“You attacked him?!”
“Are you insane?!”
“That’s a Paladin Son!”
“That’s Sugrid!”
Esme’s mouth slowly stretched into a grin as she folded her arms. “You actually attacked the head of the Paladins of Vengeance. Nice going. Maybe you’re not some wuss.”
Lennox said to her, “Never was.” Lennox looked at his injured hand again before shaking it slightly, immediately regretting the decision. “I could feel like that drunk was just gonna attack me. So I acted on it…”
Sugrid, the drunk Paladin lowered his foot and began laughing, his flask still dangling from his fingers as he walked toward Lennox.
Instead of looking offended, the drunken Paladin looked thoroughly entertained, and when he reached the young recruit he gave him a heavy slap against the shoulder that nearly made Lennox lose his balance.
“Haha! I like ya! Here, have a swig!”
“Wait, what?! No! I hate mead!”
Sugrid grabbed Lennox and pulled him toward the flask before Lennox could escape.
Esme started the chant, “Drink! Drink! Drink!”
And other recruits joined the chant:
“Drink!”
“Drink!”
“Drink!”
Lennox immediately began squirming, pushing against Sugrid’s arm while trying to keep his face away from the foul-smelling drink being shoved toward his mouth, and Esme doubled over laughing while the other recruits stood nearby with expressions ranging from horror to fascination.
The flask kept wobbling dangerously close to Lennox’s face as Sugrid attempted to force him into taking a drink, apparently considering this an entirely reasonable method of welcoming a new recruit.
But in reality, Sugrid wasn't really gonna make Lennox drink. He was just so entertained by Lennox that he wanted more reactions out of him. Because to him, Lennox was considered a very complex individual.
“Get this drunk weirdo off me!” Lennox wailed like a girl.
Esme wiped at the corner of her eye and leaned toward Sugrid. “Hey, can you get off him?” She immediately stepped away and shrugged. “Ahhh, I tried.”
“You barely tried!” Lennox said while he stared at her in disbelief while Sugrid continued wrestling him toward the flask.
‘I’m gonna stab him for real!’
Fortunately for everyone involved, a new figure appeared behind Sugrid before Lennox could act on the thought.
“Okay, that’s enough. Can we please calm down?”
A woman wearing fitted white Paladin armor approached with calm, measured steps, steel wings attached to her back and short black hair slicked neatly away from her face except for a couple of loose strands laying against her forehead.
Her dark green eyes sat upon Sugrid with exhausted patience, as she was definitely someone who had dealt with this particular idiot many times before, and she reached out, seized the back of his robe, and pulled him away from Lennox as though removing an unruly child from a room.
“Excuse this drunk excuse of a Paladin. Let him be proof enough that we won’t brainwash you into being super loyal. I know that’s what many of you are thinking. If someone as foolish as Sugrid can be a drunkard and still faithfully uphold his oath, you have nothing to worry about.”
Lennox, Esme, and the other recruits all sighed in relief at once, several of them laughing nervously as the immediate threat of being assaulted, poisoned, or recruited into Sugrid’s drinking habits seemed to pass.
Lennox rubbed his injured hand while staring at the woman, recognition slowly settling into his expression as he remembered the symbols worn upon her armor and the stories told during their training.
“Whoa….You’re the Paladin Daughter of the Paladins of Sacrifice. Cassius. I'm a big fan!”
The woman regarded him with a composed look before giving a small nod. “I am who you say I am. I bear the Oath of Sacrifice, and I serve it by placing the lives of others above my own whenever duty demands it.”
Sugrid lifted his flask.
“Booooooring!”
Cassius ignored him for several seconds, then turned her head toward the drunk Paladin, almost reconsidering every life choice that had led her to this moment. “I will now take this drunk excuse of a Paladin somewhere private and beat him to death for embarrassing us as leaders. Please head to the Temple where Alpam awaits.”
Then, she tapped Lennox’s injured hand, and a white seed mark appeared on his palm, healing his hand, and have Lennox say, “Thank you…”
Cassius smiled, “You’re welcome. “
The recruits immediately began moving again, although several kept looking over their shoulders as Cassius dragged Sugrid away.
Esme walked beside Lennox, still grinning from the spectacle, while the others whispered excitedly about having encountered two of the highest-ranking Paladins before even reaching the Temple.
Within each Oath, the titles of Son and Daughter were reserved for the supreme leaders who stood directly beneath the divine authority of Alpam, and their positions were far beyond ordinary Paladins, commanding their respective orders, training their warriors, interpreting the demands of their Oath, and representing its principles before the wider Paladin hierarchy.
Seeing two of those leaders in the same stretch of sanctuary had apparently made several recruits forget that they were supposed to be nervous about meeting a god.
Lennox could barely hold his excitement, saying, “My heart is pounding! Two Paladin leaders back to back! I’m guessing they’re here to see who will join their Oath. Where’s the Paladin Son of War at? If I can make a good impression around him… or her… I don’t know.”
Esme rubbed both hands over her face while walking. “I’m gonna vomit. Too much is happening and I can’t stay sane.”
Lennox glanced toward the enormous Temple gates ahead. “Same.”
“Oh, and since we’re both aiming to be Paladins of War, I’ll consider you my rival.”
Lennox thought, ‘Yes! My first rival!’
Lennox pretended to be broody, saying, “Tch. Whatever. Keep up.”
Esme put her arm on his shoulder, and grinned, “Haha, stop that shit. I already know you’re not like that.”
Several paces behind them, Cassius continued dragging Sugrid along while the drunk Paladin appeared completely comfortable with the situation. His flask remained in his hand, and he took another drink while looking toward the departing recruits with a crooked smile.
“What exactly are you trying to do?” Cassius asked him.
Sugrid scratched his beard and considered the question for a moment. “Test their wits and reactions. That’s all. Figured it might be useful, especially if Alpam assigns one of them to my Oath. Gotta know what sort of idiots we’re dealing with before they become our problem.”
Cassius looked toward Lennox. “And that one?”
“That one brat? The one that actually attacked me recklessly and foolishly? He’s dangerous.”
Cassius studied the burn mark on Lennox’s face from across the avenue, her expression becoming more thoughtful.
“No telling what he’s been through, based on that mark on his face. A young man like that should be to your liking, based on what your order revolves around.”
“Yeah. But he’s too reckless for my liking, like he has something to prove. I at least like his reaction and not being a pushover.” He took another swig of his drink, and said, “Anyway, before the trial starts… you wanna…?”
Cassius immediately said, “I’m not touching your pecker, Sugrid. Let’s go.”