A/N: A fateful meeting between Marcus and Paladin Commander Tobias Williams.
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The threat to the Convent was a serious one. Even Marcus had to admit as much once Sepia got done explaining everything to them. Truth be told, he probably would have stepped in regardless of whether he needed information about Sepia's fellow Dark General or not. What he'd learned was… unsettling to say the least. It turned his stomach.
Apparently, the nearby town at the other end of the valley was overseen by a Paladin Commander named Tobias Williams. This man was the source of all of Sepia and her flock's woes. Put bluntly, the man had never seemed to appreciate that his authority and jurisdiction didn't extend to the Convent itself. He had nominal control over the entire area around the Convent, from keeping the peace in the town and having his Paladins patrol the surrounding lands.
Technically, these weren't wildlands. The Holy Empire had fully chased the orcs out of the Northern territories, and seeing as the orcs weren't any better off living in the snow than most species, the green skins had ultimately gone South and West. This had resulted in the Empire's Northern Reaches being sparsely populated but also fully under their control, with the threat of orc raids effectively next to nil.
That said, they were still newly settled enough that no member of the Nobility had laid claim to them just yet. And so they were administered by the Church, who had actually been in the area the longest what with Sepia's Convent predating both the town at the other end of the valley as well as the Paladin Garrison in said town.
Because the Convent had been there first, the Paladin Commander in charge of that Garrison was not in fact in charge of the Convent as well. Something that hadn't been a problem originally, as the first Paladin Commander to be assigned to watch over the area had been an older man who had no desire to interact or comingle with the Convent or its Priestesses.
Unfortunately, a couple years ago that older Paladin Commander was replaced by Tobias Williams. To hear Sepia tell it, Commander Williams had shown up one day, exiled from the Capital for upsetting the wrong people with the wrong sort of actions. But within a fortnight, he had convinced the older Commander to retire, and a month after that, the old man had seemingly passed away in his sleep.
Meanwhile, from the moment Tobias had control, he had enjoyed exerting his authority. Technically, there was no Nobility in these parts. But in practice, Tobias might as well have been a Noble given the way he lorded over the town and the surrounding farmlands like they were his own personal fiefdom. He extracted whatever he liked from the townsfolk under his control, though Sepia was forced to begrudgingly admit that he knew when to hold back… and how to use his dashing good looks to make people fall in love with him.
Indeed, Commander Williams was a man who got what he wanted, but he didn't often have to use force nor intimidation. Not when he could use words dripping with honey instead. The townsfolk actually liked him well enough, in spite of what Sepia described as utter tyranny. He was managing the delicate balancing act of accruing power while also keeping everyone happy quite well… that is, until he ran face first into Sepia.
Truth be told, from the way the Succubus was describing him, Marcus had been a little surprised. They'd sounded like they were made for each other. But Sepia was quick to deny that. To hear her tell it, she knew what an abusive piece of scum looked like, and for all that the Paladin Commander was handsome, he was most definitely an abusive piece of scum.
Given what else she'd told him, Marcus was inclined to tentatively agree. Though for the moment, he was still reserving judgment until he could see it with his own two eyes.
Regardless, the story of Commander Williams had continued with the man setting his eyes on Sepia's Convent once he had solidified his hold over his town, ruling with an iron fist wrapped in a silken glove. He'd begun trying to throw his weight around, but Sepia wasn't having it. Due to the Convent being there first, she was all too happy to let Commander Williams know that he wasn't in charge and had no jurisdiction over her or her flock.
For a time, he'd stewed on this but ultimately seemed inclined to let things go. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a trick. As the Commander and his Paladins fell silent at the other end of the valley, tensions in the Convent had slowly dissipated, the Sisters relaxing and lowering their guards. They'd returned to their natural lifestyles… which involved having gratuitous all-female orgies as much as it involved meditating on their connection with the Holy Light.
It was this that Commander Williams caught wind of, having had his subordinates patrolling closer and closer to the Convent until they could spy upon what was happening within. When the Commander found out what was going on in the Convent, he'd decided he wanted a piece of the action. As Sepia told it, she'd rejected him. Just because her and her flock enjoyed each other's company did not mean they were going to play the role of a whorehouse for Commander Williams and his men. Full stop.
Unfortunately, that was not the end of it. And here was where Marcus felt obligated to step in, information or not. Just a few days ago, before Marcus and company had shown up, Commander Williams had apparently arrived at the Convent's gates sporting a Writ of Authority from the Holy Pope herself. Suddenly, it didn't matter that the Convent had been around longer than the town or its garrison.
With the Holy Pope's backing, Commander Tobias Williams was the ultimate authority now, even within the Convent's walls. Sepia, if she chose to maintain her act as normal human woman who followed the Holy Pope's will, would be forced to obey. Fortunately, Commander Williams was riding the high of his seemingly utter victory so much that he magnanimously gave Sepia and her flock a week's time to come to terms with how they would be… 'supporting' him and his Garrison going forward.
Unfortunately, Sepia and her girls were lovers, not fighters. While Sepia might have been able to kill a few Paladins on her own, an entire garrison would be too much for her. Ultimately, she'd be overwhelmed and likely killed, leaving her charges defenseless to Commander Williams and his men.
That was where Marcus came in. Standing in front of the gates of the Convent, Marcus watches as a full-blown contingent of armored, mounted Paladins approaches along the dirt path that leads from the town at the other end of the valley. He waits with Angelina and Erised by his sides, having told Roka-Ra to stay back. Truth be told, seeing as the Writ of Authority had arrived a week ago, the likelihood of his departure from the Capital not having also reached these parts was quite low. But he figured he had a better chance of talking Commander Williams down without Roka-Ra present then with her present.
… Honestly, he couldn't say for sure he knew what he was doing. He didn't want to have to kill anyone. But he didn't just need the information that Sepia had for him. He also was loath to let these Paladins lay a single finger on the peaceful Sisters inhabiting the Convent behind him. Sure, they were all lewd perverted souls, but so was his Angelina, so it wasn't like Marcus could possibly blame any of them for their depraved natures.
Standing tall, halberd held to one side while his other hand rests on the pommel of his shortsword, Marcus clenches his jaw as the mounted Paladins finish their approach, stopping a few dozen yards away from him and his party.
At the head of their group, the one with the slightly more ostentatious armor reaches up and pulls off his helmet, revealing the dashing good looks that Marcus has already heard about. Not all evil doers are fat or ugly, Marcus supposes. Some… some bastards are truly quite handsome.
Tobias Williams peers at him for a moment before grinning a jovial grin.
"Oh-ho! Could it be… you're the Destined Hero! Marcus, wasn't it?"
He sounds surprisingly relaxed in spite of this revelation. Maybe it's the lack of Roka-Ra, just as Marcus had hoped. And maybe that means Marcus can leverage whatever influence he might still have with the Church to get Tobias to back off.
"That's me. I wanted to talk to you about your intentions for the women in the Convent behind me."
Commander Williams chuckles, exchanging glances with some of his fellow Paladins. The snickers that some of them let out are not nearly as light as the Paladin Commander's laughter. In fact, where Tobias manages to come across as quite affable, his followers… are less so. Though they wear the armor of Paladins and sit atop warhorses, Marcus gets the feeling that the whole lot of them are quite… thuggish in nature. He finds himself wondering how they managed to Awaken as Paladins instead of Thugs. Then again, the Awakening was not perfect… as he well knew personally.
"My intentions. Well, Sir Hero. My intentions are to execute the Writ of Authority that the Holy Pope herself has granted me in this situation. You see, the Convent behind you has been up to no good. The Mother Superior has led her flock astray. My men and I are here to set things right."
Marcus' jaw clenches. Sepia had warned him, but it was one thing to hear it second hand and a whole other thing to experience the Paladin Commander's duplicitous nature himself. Tobias was talking in circles, the handsome bastard speaking in a vague manner clearly designed to confuse and persuade Marcus to his way of thinking.
Unfortunately for Commander Williams, Marcus wasn't having it. He meets the man's eyes with a glare.
"Is that so? So your intentions are not to enter the Convent behind me and rape and pillage the Sisters in there against their will?"
That causes the Paladin Commander to pause for a moment. He clearly wasn't expecting Marcus to be so blunt. Meanwhile, his men all shift in their armor, suddenly looking at Marcus with expressions of barely concealed hostility. Once again, Marcus is reminded more of thugs than the Paladins that he'd fought alongside in the battle against Roka-Ra's Warband. None of these men are akin to Paladin Eric, that's for sure. This far from the Capital… it would seem Marcus has found the Church's dumping ground for its unwanted Paladins.
"Such crass language, Sir Hero. Rape is a strong word. I'm sure that with the Writ of Authority, the Sisters are more than ready to submit to my leadership. There will be no rape. The Convent will remain standing, as it always has. Life will continue on, as it always has. Unless… your presence here infers that the Mother Superior and her Priestesses have betrayed the Holy Empire. That would be quite the grave crime indeed, if they had sided with an enemy of the Empire and the Church."
Marcus stiffens up at that, but Tobias isn't done just yet. His tone remains jovial and even somewhat curious, but his words… his words contain all the threat he needs as he leans forward with a questioning grin on his handsome face.
"Where IS General Roka-Ra, Marcus? Last we heard, she had you under her spell and had forced you to break her free before Divine Justice could be delivered unto her. And now I find you here. Is she in the Convent behind you, Sir Hero? Or have you broken free of her control? If it's the latter, that's excellent news. The type of news me and my men would be glad to hear."
The Paladin Commander is continuing to talk in circles. And all Marcus can think is how good it would feel to bury his fist in the smug bastard's handsome face. Maybe even shatter that chiseled jawline into a thousand little pieces. Tobias is clearly trying to offer Marcus a way out with one hand, while threatening him and those he would protect with a closed fist on the other.
… But Marcus wasn't here to play games. And as Angelina kept telling him…
"That doesn't matter. I am under no one's control but my own. And as the Destined Hero, I am ordering you and your men to turn around and go back to your garrison. This Convent is off limits."
There's a beat of silence, as the glowering looks Marcus is being sent redouble in strength. Even Tobias' smile falters for a second at the ultimatum. But then his jovial grin is back in full force, as is his friendly tone, despite the thinly veiled menace dripping off of every word.
"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Sir Hero. By order of her Holiness, this Convent now belongs to me and my men. Please, step aside. Lest I'm forced to declare you an enemy of the Church… and see fit to exercise my all-encompassing Authority upon your companions as well as the Sisters in the Convent behind you."
It takes Marcus a moment to process what was just said. At his sides, both Angelina and Erised bristle at the Paladin Commander's words. Neither of them are at all happy about that threat. But where they're both unhappy… Marcus is positively livid. He finds himself gasping… and seeing red.
Mistaking his silence as fear, Commander Williams chuckles.
"What's the matter, Marcus? Cat got your tongue? Truly, you just-urk!"
It's not his fist that Marcus buries in the Paladin Commander's face. It's the spiked end of his halberd. He sinks it so deep into the handsome bastard's skull that even the axe-blade digs a couple of inches into the side of Tobias' head. Meanwhile, the Commander himself is dead in an instant, even as his steed finally reacts to Marcus' sudden appearance.
Dark Power flowing through him, the half-orc snarls as he yanks his halberd back. However, Tobias' skull clings to the blade of his weapon, and he ends up tearing the Paladin Commander out of his saddle in the process of freeing his weapon. In the end, his halberd does come free… but not before the armored body goes flying, separated from the head as its quite literally popped off by the strength that Marcus is displaying.
As Commander Williams' horse rears back and immediately tries to flee, now riderless, the other mounted Paladins are just starting to react. But Marcus' anger is not quelled with just one death. Far from it. As they all shout and snarl at him, growling out curse words and drawing their weapons, the color red coating Marcus' vision only grows stronger.
Hm. Is this what an orcish blood rage feels like? He looks down at his hands for a moment, only for one of the Paladins to charge forward and swing his sword right at Marcus' head. The strike flies true, but in the end the sword is deflected… by Angelina, who has cast a spell of protection over Marcus, as well as several spells that bolster his attributes even further then they already are.
With a vicious snarl, Marcus reaches up at the Paladin who swung at him just as the other man is passing him by. His hand grabs onto an ankle… and he rips the Holy Knight down off of his warhorse and flings him to the ground, before stomping the life from him with a single well-aimed boot to the skull.
… If this was what a blood rage was like, Marcus decided he actually didn't mind it. Not one bit. As he steps out of the gory remains left behind by his second kill, he looks up at the other Paladins who had come along to enforce Tobias Williams' will upon Sepia and her flock, as well as personally enjoy the Sisters against their will.
Marcus grins.
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A/N: And thus ends Commander Williams' bid to take over the Convent and from there... the world! Back in the Warband Arc, Marcus was in the sparring ring toying with Paladins that would make Tobias and his ilk look like little more than the thugs they were. In comparison, it's not exactly a fair fight.
Anyways, in case it was hard to picture, just imagine the Hulk Smile for Marcus in these moments.
As always, hope everyone enjoyed and be sure to let me know what you think!
Chapter 47 will come out on Wednesday like usual, or you can read six chapters ahead right now over on the P atreon!