Most of the village had gathered at the edge of the woods when Mariel arrived. A fierce roar erupted from the trees, sending some birds flying. The Paladin took the noise as a sign that the idiot was still alive, but the beast was reaching the end of his patience.

“What took you so long?” Amon asked. “Don’t you hear that?”

She ignored her brother, the overt whispers in the crowd rising as she passed.

“What a useless Paladin.”

“We can’t trust her to protect us.”

“Why did the gods pick her?”

In front of the villagers was Mr. Finley, his arms wrapped around his equally plump, sobbing wife. Mariel scrunched her nose. It was a pitiful sight.

“Oh thank you, Paladin, thank you for coming!” Mrs. Finley wailed, reaching for her savior. Mariel made an obvious dodge from the frantic woman, her pale face raw with tears and snot. Mariel sighed as she continued into the woods. Footsteps rushed to catch hers until he was beside her. Amon’s gaze on her, waiting to see what she’d do. Her face was neutral, but she clenched her hands into fists. Her eyes stayed straight, brushing aside any low-hanging branches. Amon asked if he should say something about her apathetic response to the Finley couple and the villagers.

Mariel knew the gossip about her. No matter how quiet they thought they were. Everyone said if she didn’t act so brash, they wouldn’t have a reason to be so sour toward her. She looked around; they were deeper in the woods than Amon had been before. No one but Mariel ventured past a certain point in the old forest, knowing that Great Beasts claimed it as theirs. Alboda, the giant boar, roamed this area for centuries, according to the stories. Another squeal like roar shook through the trees again, the sound passing by the unfazed Paladin. Eventually, the pair entered a clearing, finding a more pitiful sight than before.

“Don’t you come any closer you dumb animal!”

Clarence was on the ground, his crossbow shaking wildly in his outstretched arms. The Finley son was just as fat as his mother and father, inheriting their fair features, but his expression was in a constant state of false pride. Mariel spotted a large tear in the man's shirt on his forearm, blood seeping into the fabric. She smiled, giving a few mental points to the boar. A rush of hot air escaped the boar’s nose as he dug his hoof into the ground in warning.

Says the dim-witted human who dares to come into my territory yet again.

“Good morning Alboda. It’s been a while,” Mariel said, slowly approaching him.

The morning light was breaking into the forest, allowing her to see that Alboda’s eyes were becoming more cloudy. His once jet-black fur was now mostly white and gray, but his tusks were still large and strong. As a Great Beast, he still led his sounder, but he preferred the peace that being alone offered him.

It has been many moons, Paladin, though I wish the morning were better. My body aches today, but this human threatens me. I am finding little reason to not kill him.

Alboda’s voice sounded tired in her mind, gently rubbing the giant’s snout. “I’m sorry, my friend. I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you anymore.”

Alboda bowed his head, carefully laying down on the ground. Mariel turned to Clarence, who flinched at her approach.

“Don’t look at me like that, Mariel! That beast is dangerous, and you know it!”

“Alboda has never once hurt anyone outside of his territory. He has lived alongside this village for who knows how long in peace and you decide there’s something wrong with that, and for what? Because you want to make a name for yourself by killing a Great Beast. You think killing a god’s creation will earn you some impressive title? They were here before we were.”

“That’s not true! I just want to protect the village.”

“You’re a bigger moron than I thought, Clarence Finley, and I’m tired of constantly saving you.”

She strode towards him, paying no mind that there was now a weapon pointed at her with an angry owner. “I’ll show you! I’ll show all of them that I’m better than you!”

“Mariel, look out!” Amon yelled, dashing to his sister. An arrow shot from its barrel, sinking into the Paladin’s leg. She gave a muffled groan before grabbing the pudgy man by the shirt, lifting him from the ground.

“If you had any brains, you would have aimed for my heart.”

Clarence flailed against the woman’s grasp, trying to tear away her fingers. “Let go of me, you ugly giant!”

“Listen closely. I will not come to save you again. If you insist on playing this game to make up for your lack of balls, I’ll kill you myself.”

The villager’s eyes grew wide, the weight of the blue storm forcing silence. He nodded, giving a sigh of relief when his feet touch the ground. She released him with a minor shove, sending him into the grass. He swore, hastily reloading his crossbow, and the Paladin stared at him. With a click of her teeth, she grabbed the top of the weapon, ripping it from Clarence’s grasp. She closed her hand around the barrel, instantly snapping it into pieces.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” the man yelled, using a tree to help him rise to his shaking legs.

Mariel said nothing but drew her hand back, giving Clarence only a moment to duck before her fist came flying towards him. Her punch landed on the tree behind him, resulting in an explosion of splintered wood. The broken tree fell back into the forest with a loud thump. The foolish villager turned, not seeing just how tall and massive the treat was until he saw it on the ground. Shakily, he turned, opening his mouth to speak. The paladin leaned in close to him, “Stay.”

He could say nothing as she turned back to Alboda, walking back to the boar as she snapped off the bulk of the arrow in her leg. “You’ve ended up with a Paladin that keeps causing you trouble.”

The boar chuckled. 

You are a fine Paladin little one, but you could be great if you allowed it.

“Overrated,” she replied with a dismissive wave.

Amon was checking on Clarence, who ended up with a few splinters in his face. The wound on his arm didn’t appear serious, but the little brother wrapped it, anyway. Mariel demanded that Clarence walk in front of her on the way back, threatening to drag him by few hairs in his pants if he acted up. The man mumbled to himself as they walked, the siblings sometimes catching a few words of how he planned to get his revenge. She caught Amon smiling at her. “What?”

“I’ve heard that Paladin’s could hear the Great Beasts, but I’ve never seen it before! I assumed you could, but why didn’t you say anything about it?! It’s so cool.”

She smiled, despite the twist in her stomach. Her mood sinking the closer they reached the edge of the forest.