A Hand-Woven Universe 164 163. The Dependable Paladin

Noone's heart was pounding violently in his chest as he watched the drider recompose itself. The two dark eyes staring out like threatening pits of venom. Despite the distraction caused by the sunlight miracle, it did not seem to cause any lasting or permanent damage to the creature.

Noone's muscles were taut to their limits, and his bare feet dug into the stone floor. His entire body began to ripple with energy as he forced his divine sense to cover a complete sphere around him.

His head throbbed and an endless amount information passed through his brain. Every particle of dust was being counted and he could feel every bead of sweat on his body.
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For a moment, Noone considered escape. The several hallways in the room were narrow enough that they would certainly slow the creature down if he were to make a run for it. He looked at Tobias. "But… If I do…" He thought silently, he couldn't help but worry for the paladin.

Since arriving from Tapestry to the surface, Noone had never forgotten his goal. There was a cold vengeance in his heart that needed to see its conclusion. Noon believed that, while he wasn't a bad person, he most certainly wasn't a good one. He never saw himself doing anything that might keep him from achieving his revenge. But now… as he considered leaving Tobias behind… he wasn't sure if he could justify it.

Tobias watched from the wall, his eyes drooping heavily as he tried to meet the drider's gaze. His breathing was heavy and labored. Many thoughts were running through his mind. How could a drider possibly be here? Did the army know? And… could they make it out of this alive?

The paladin glanced at Noone in apprehension. When he saw Noone standing stalwartly in the creature's path, Tobias was clearly able to see that Noone was preparing himself for a fight.

Noone did not have armor, and only had just begun learning the ins and outs of using a great-axe. Compared to Tobias – a battle prodigy – without Noone's divine sense he wouldn't even be able to hold up a candle to the paladin.

And yet here he was planning to fight…

Tobias let out a worn sigh, edged with an uncomfortable cough from the burning in his lungs.

Without any more hesitation he grabbed the necklace with the effigy tied into it and chanted a short miracle. The miracle he used was one ingrained into his soul by the gods.

"Good and gracious gods. Your servant calls upon you in time of need. Please heal me and give me strength to overcome this trial, so I may continue to serve you loyally and protect the innocents of the world." He mumbled, his deep voice nothing more than a barely audible and hoarse whisper.

In an instant, a holy white light covered Tobias's tired form. The drider's eyes narrowed into slits and its elven hands came up to block the light.

As the power faded, Noone couldn't help but steal a glance at the paladin. His armor was still in disarray, but no longer was Tobias being forced to slouch and fight for each breath. His eyes were steady and impassive, and he stood up straight, pushing off from the wall as he held his ornate weapon in both hands.

His steps were smooth and strong as he moved forward, coming shoulder to shoulder with Noone.

Sweeping Tobias with his divine sense, Noone could see countless small white threads darting in and out of the old paladin's body. Like a doll being sewed together, the threads purified the paladin, taking away his pain and renewing his energy.

Tobias breathed out a heavy sigh, allowing the pain and bad air which had built up inside him to escape. His eyes were bright with the power of his gods.

"Tobias… You okay?" Noone couldn't help but ask cautiously as he continued to keep an eye on the drider. The paladin looked over at Noone, and then gave him a relieved smile. Noone was caught off guard and Tobias merely chuckled. Noone couldn't help but feel it was an incongruous reaction to the situation.

"I'm more than okay." Tobias breathed another sigh, the relief of a pressure being lifted was audible on his voice. "If we make it through this Noone… you are free to go your own way." He said smoothly, eyeing the recovering drider.

"What?" Noone asked, shocked.

"Well." Tobias hesitated. "The reason I was holding off from healing earlier… was only because I had a set number of miracles available, and I needed to ensure I had enough left to restrain you later." He chuckled bitterly to himself, his deep and gravelly voice becoming softer.

"But since I just healed, there's no way I can possibly restrain you anymore." Tobias smiled at Noone, genuine relief could be seen in his old features.

"It's actually a weight off my back believe it or not. I was always a little conflicted about this whole thing you see. Ever since the very beginning. But now, I had to use my 3rd level spell to heal in order to ensure your protection." Tobias shrugged, a sheepish grin on his face. "So, the grand-priest can say nothing of my failure, since I had no choice." He laughed.

Noone's expression was complicated as he looked at the old man. Had Tobias always been this carefree? Or maybe this is how he was when he didn't have to worry about orders? Noone could almost visibly see the tension which was release from Tobias's being.

Noone thought about Tobias in a different light at this moment.

Yes, he had to answer to assignments as part of the order… but ultimately the Order of Life is a force of healing and peace. When he thought about it like that, Tobias's actions made a lot more sense. Maybe he was just an old man who wanted to live a casual relaxed life helping the people?

Noone smiled wryly. "Alright. So… what are our chances of killing that thing?" Noone asked, bringing attention back to the unholy creature which was regaining its composure.

This caused Tobias's expression to sullen a bit. He hesitated for a few moments. "Not great. Usually it takes an entire party to kill a drider. You've already seen how fast they are… but." Tobias smiled.

"Miracle circle of the good gods."

"Divine weapon."

"Miracle of protection."

"Shield of Faith."

"Divine Favor."

Tobias began spitting out various miracles Noone had never seen or heard of. Over the span of half a minute the room was lit up with lights and colors as magic permeated the space.

A large rune-like circle covered the stone floor of the cavern creating a shielded space, blocking off anything from entering the room. When Noone focused his divine sense, he could see tiny threads rise up from the rune and lightly ensnare the drider's body.

Tobias's weapon began to glow with a white light as threads of energy flowed into it like a river from the tapestry of the universe. It reminded Noone of what happened with Sarah where her weapon glowed red like fire - smite.

Noone's body tensed for a moment before easing into the light which quickly enveloped him and then disappeared. His defense had just been blessed, which was good considering his lack of armor.

Tobias shifted his large axe into one hand and suddenly a white-steel shield began to materialize from his free hand before eventually settling into existence. It was large, half the size of Tobias himself, and looked incredibly heavy.

Everything took place over the span of a few seconds, and Noone couldn't help but stare at Tobias's serious but casual smile. One word came to Noone's mind right now.

Dependable.

Chapter end