Truth is that life on the Saints’ side of Jericho was… complicated. An ignorant, reactionary populace kept many members of society gated from basic dignity. The minorities, the foreigners, the demihumans, all who didn’t conform to their standards was quickly ran out of the big cities and ostracized from the smaller, often more “lenient” communities across the Church’s territories. Of course, the Church didn’t technically own any land! But with the influence it held on those who followed, they may as well reign as the true government since the fall of the Golden Empire.
Lucrece had seen it all firsthand. She had the luck of being born with the right lastname for most of her childhood, but since becoming a sellsword things had turned sour and hard to manage. She didn’t mind it on herself, after all she did profit on war! But seeing those less fortunate being kicked out again and again for being “filthy” and “wicked”, not to mention Gabrielle’s trauma with her hair being on display…
But all of this was news to Esperanza. She remembered very little of the days before her torture at the hands of a Demiurge, and her new upbringing with the Church had been comfortable in most ways. Of course she was aware of the struggle of the poor, she had to, right!? And it was only natural that the wicked were punished for their ways… but to see such rejection to her presence from someone was shaking, and kind of scary.
The Saint remained silent for a few moments, her emotions had turned into a huge and confusing tornado inside of her chest.
“Your people have left a trail of blood all over Jericho, and then demand others to worship them for it. Don’t expect treatment like that from me.”
With a soft grunt the blonde woman kneeled down and picked up Gabrielle, letting her rest on her back before standing back up. There was a look of intense hatred in her only eye, staring a hole into Esperanza’s soul… but the Dame simply decided to sigh, and accept it. There would be no good in trying to refute such claims now.
“Do as you wish.” Esperanza finally said. “Do you know the girl?”
“She’s my friend.” Lucrece spoke up before having time to be embarrassed about it. “I am not giving her up to you.”
“I didn’t expect so…” This had to be the first thing that cyclops of a woman said that made the Saint smile. A friend, so Gabrielle wasn’t alone anymore. “Take her away. Through a different way if you can.”
“You’re letting us go…?” Bafflement was palpable on Luci’s face.
“If they see her here, she’ll get in a huge trouble. Go, now.”
There was no real reason to believe the woman, but there was also no time to stop and confront her. The people of the church were everywhere in the city already, and if they hoped to make an exit she had to make a decision fast. Lucrece grabbed her weapon, adjusted Gabi’s weight on her back, and immediately made the run through the tunnels, barely able to keep her balance with both a halberd on her hands and a woman on her back, but there was no time for pauses or rests!
Meanwhile, Esperanza stared at the body of Tonitrus, kneeling down and checking if the man was still breathing… he was. With a sigh of relief, she uncorked a little bottle kept close to her heart and let a few drops of the gooey, red contents fall on the unconscious demiurge’s mouth. “Dragon’s Blood”, a powerful healing concoction and a gift from the Chamber Priest to be used only on the direst of emergencies… she quietly thanked the old man for his wisdom and then watched as the man’s wounded shoulder quickly sealed up. Nodding to herself, she picked up the man and turned around, retracing her steps through the tunnels.
It didn’t take long to actually encounter Ignatius and two mercenaries of the Battalion, who were already looking for her after seeing their Saint abandon her horse and jump into a hole on the ground.
“My Lady! You are okay!” The elder celebrated, letting out a sigh of relief. “Who is that man you carry? A prisoner?”
“I managed to capture one of them before he escaped! The others were beyond my reach.” Esperanza nodded, sighing. “At least we managed to get one alive…”
“We found three corpses on the way here…” Ignatius narrowed his eyes.
“I got a little zealous and sent them straight to the Saint’s embrace once again. I hope you can forgive me.”
The mercenaries let out a bit of a laugh, waving the girl’s concern’s off and taking the man from her shoulders. They left with a bow, without really asking for more details… but Ignatius, ever observant, whispered to the Saint’s ear.
“I saw the bodies. The wounds were not made by a spear. What are you hiding, my lady?”
“I… cut them down with my dagger. I lost my spear temporarily while fighting them.”
“Three consecutive times?”
“I was clumsy.”
“Uh huh.”
There was silence between them for a moment, but eventually the old man simply gave up, shaking his head and walking away. Esperanza sighed, she was a terrible liar under pressure and she knew it well, but she also knew he could count on Ignatius to cover her tracks now. Despite their differences, the elder was really a dependable ally in mischief… but she would have to talk about this with the Chamber Priest later.
There was so much she wanted to ask, so many things she needed out of her chest… and a strange feeling, a hope that maybe this wouldn’t be the last time she saw that redhead woman. But for now, she simply walked behind her retainer, setting her weapon on her back and simply resting for a moment. She had felt way too many emotions for a single day.
