Anon Tae - Bloodstained- chapter 8

"A cherubim is often shown contemplating. Why is that? What are they thinking of?" Gunter asked Lady Herodias as he gathered pieces for the next statue they were assembling. She would point out the pieces, and he would move it to the statue base while she located another. Gunter was keeping score in his head. If she found the next piece before he was able to get the last piece moved, she scored a point, and if he was able to move the pieces and be ready and waiting before she found the next one, he scored a point. Currently she was 2 points ahead, but he had just scored a point and was still waiting.. giving him time to ponder the offhand question of the cherubim. "Quit trying to distract me." she replied never taking her eyes off the pieces spread out on the grass.. Gunter followed slightly behind and let the question drop.

Gunter heard it comming. It was faint and time seemed to slow as he heard it. It was a slight whistle the broadhead makes as it cuts through the air towards its target. He was too late he knew, but it did not matter. He was not the target. He had heard the sound so many times that his reaction was involuntary. dropping his head to avoid a headshot was all he had time to do. The arrow thunked into Lady's armor piercing into the flesh of her shoulder. She fell onto her back from the force of the blow. Gunter by that time was next to her on the ground, crouching to look at the wound. "Pull it out" She said. Arrows wizzed by over head and Gunter almost raised his head high enough to be a target when she said that. Arrows shattered into the marble statue pieces and splintered into the air, Bringing his head back down. "you'll bleed to death in no time If I do that.." he argued, but he could see the fire in her eyes. She had already worked it out in her head. She mustered all the patience she could and explained carefully.."I can't loose my arrows unless you pull it out. If I can't fire I might as well be dead... Pull it out. Now!" Gunter did not hesitate again. He gripped the arrow by the shaft and pulled the broadhead free of her shoulder. She didn't even flinch. Such strength! he thought... as more arrows slammed into the stones around them.

His sword was but a few feet away, laying in the grass, but it was a few exposed feet with a clear line from the trees to the sword.. He would be a pincushion if he stepped out there.
Then it hit him.. The statue pieces he had been moving all day! He pushed the base of the Cherubim statue with all the force he could muster in that crouched position. The statue toppled over almost onto his sword... he had the cover he needed. He crawled out behind the statue, got his sword, and crawled back on his belly. Lady had just notched a weird looking arrow.. and he couldn't contain his smile.. If they died here, then who better to die with! Lady had already adjusted her aim and told him to get ready to run for it. She angled the shot up and over the marble pieces, and back down onto the area directly beyond the small trees the arrows were comming from. The arrow landed with a boom. Dirt, and pieces of tree came flying out from behind the shrubs. Gunter ran as fast as he could, hearing thunderclaps as he ran. When he made it to the building he looked up expecting to see the enemy chasing him up to the building wielding lightning. Instead he saw Por.

Standing in the middle of the field, a glowing ball surrounding him.. he held his cane in the air and lightning struck down at the trees, strike after deadly strike. It was exactly what Gunter had needed. He sprinted for the trees, and vaulted over the tree to get into the bushes while they were distracted by the lightning. It was there he met the enemy.

Three Grawl spearmen were looking shocked at his sudden appearance, he used it to maximum advantage rolling his momentum onto the ground and coming up with a thrust to one of the Grawl's Ribs. The sword pierced the ribcage, and he turned the blade splitting the ribs, and sliced it the rest of the way out the backside of the furry creature. Blood poured from the wound. He had struck an artery. Leaving that one to die, he continued his momentum past the first one using him as a shield to keep the other two from attacking. He swung his sword at the ribs of the closer of the two, and as the beast tried to parry, he slid the sword off the parry and riposted into the beasts neck. The sword pierced through to the other side, and Gunter moved in an arc around the stunned creature, leaving the sword in as he moved. He used his motion to slingblade the sword into the last creature, as the head from the second one fell to the ground completely severed. The force of the slingblade shattered the spear the last creature lifted in defense, cutting completely through it and lodging the sword in the chest cavity of the last. The creature slid to the ground off the end of Gunters blade as gunter continued moving toward the tree line where the rest of the Grawl were probably still taking refuge. He saw arrows slicing through what was left of the trees in both directions. And through the fog of his attack sense he realized that the arrows from Lady were too numerous to be only hers.. had Por picked up a bow?

The archers were being kept busy by the incomming arrows when he found them. They were like fish on a stringer, waiting to be gutted. Gunter set about giving them what they had been waiting for, and not knowing which one had struck Lady..he made them all pay the price in blood... How much time he wondered..She was still bleeding , and the longer these creatures lived the less chances she had to survive. He became a killing machine of extreme efficiency.

Lady had made it to Por's side, and the two of them were trying to hold the left side of the treeline with lightning and arrows. The Grawl were spilling out into the open faster than they could drop them down.. How many had she killed? she lost count at 12.. That had been some time ago. and the 45 arrows in her quiver were almost gone. She took aim on the far left side with one of her last two arrows, but before she loosed, a broadhead caught the Grawl in the neck. She traced the trajectory back to her left, accounted for arc for distance, and found him hiding in between pillars of the main temple, weilding a long bow from .. 150 yards? Quite a shot.. The man was killing the Grawl.. so for now that made him a friendly, She had better not find an arrow of his in Gunter, or the next neck to be broadheaded would be his..

Eventually the fighting stopped. There was movement in the trees long after the arrows ceased comming, and a hoarse cry from Gunter in the trees announced it was safe.
Gunter arrived as the Young man with the Long bow walked over from his hiding spot.

"Hail, traveler! and great thanks for your service in defending the temple this day." Por spoke as the young man walked up. "I am Porphyry, this be the daughter heir to King Herodias, and this, the temple Lord Gunter." With a bow, the young man introduced himself as Jin. "I have been tracking that group the last few days wondering where it was headed" jin said quietly.. "I would have warned you if I had known the temple had been reopened. I lived here sometime back.. before it was closed, it's good to see people here again." He looked into the distance, "There were more than the bodies I see here.. they may yet return. If they have another force near by."

Lady saw the opening and snatched it up without a thought. "Then Jin, your service may be required further here. You may stay until we are assured this threat has been dealt with."
She looked as if there was no question the order would be obeyed.

Jin bowed gracefully, "As you wish my Lady. My services are at your disposal." He then turned to Gunter, "Lord Gunter, I have not seen a more valorous display on the battlefield. He knelt before Gunter and spoke for all to hear. "I vow to serve and protect you my liege, for as long as you will have me."

Gunter looked shocked, but managed "Rise Sir Jin, your service is accepted." At that, Lady Herodias let out a loud "hrrmph" and walked away.

"And so it begins" Por said under his breath.. as he took out an fig from the tree along the river.. biting into it.. he savored the sweet juicy flavor.


~From the Cherubim Knights Archives
A record of Jin's return.