Swords and Shields -- Risen Challenge #1

Her first mission amongst the Shepherds was to deal with a group of Risen attacking a quiet, rural village... Of course, Esme was terrified, but tried not to show it. She moved with a crowd of other Shepherds, some of which she could vaguely recognize but none of which she actually knew well; mages, myrmidon, and was that a taguel? As nerve-wracking as it was, her task was to keep these Pokemon alive as they fought against their undead enemies. There wasn't room for error now.

Then she saw them; the Risen. They looked like people... but with half-dead bodies and empty, soulless eyes. They were viciously attacking the village, breaking into houses and lurching towards anyone who looked like easy prey. Most of them were Rattata, which were common in these parts, but there were a few Sableye, all of whom wore a sickening, ear-to-ear grin, as though thoroughly enjoying what it was they were doing, or perhaps their faces were just stuck like that. Either way, it didn't matter, because the Shepherds were attacking. It all happened so fast... one moment, the Risen were wreaking havoc, and the next, a battle broke out.

Esme's pace slowed, and she found herself standing in the grass, clutching at her staff so tightly in her hands that her knuckles were white beneath her fur. This is it, this was what I signed up for, what I was told I would see...

Then someone cried out; not a ghastly Risen cry, but that of a normal Pokemon being injured. Esme spun around, her breath catching in her throat as she got her first taste at what being a Cleric was all about.

Two Risen were attacking a young girl, who held a bronze sword in her tiny hands, which seemed far too delicate to be holding such a weapon. Fresh, bright red blood streamed from a wound on the girl's arm, making her grip on her sword a little shaky as that arm slowly began to lose strength. The girl backed up, her two fluffy tails -- she was a Meowstic, that's what she was! -- nervously twitching as she glanced between the fanged Risen who lurched after her with determination.

Knowing it was her time to act, Esme cleared her mind and acted purely off of instinct. Trust yourself, you know what to do!

The next thing she knew, the Smeargle had thrown herself in front of between the injured girl and one of the Risen, holding one hand up over head. The air glistened with light at her palm, and then a glimmering, translucent green shield appeared in front of her as she launched a Protect. Esme called back to the girl behind her, instructing, "Finish that one off while I keep this one back!" The angry Rattata Risen was lunging at the shield like some sort of mindless monster, trying to repetitively use Quick Attack to get through it.

For a moment, Esme was afraid the girl behind her had already lost her fight, but then she heard a sound that made her feel both relieved and nauseous-- the sound of a sword's blade cutting through the Risen's body, and then the thud of the creature falling over.

"Alright!" The young girl called, and she leaped forward just as Esme stepped back and let the Protect finally fade. As soon as the shield was gone, the Meowstic slashed with her sword and finished off the now-tired Rattata.

It was then that Esme noticed the gracefulness of the girl's movement, and remembered hearing something about a youthful Dancer who joined the Shepherds only a little before she herself had. That must be her.

With both of the Risen down, the two women could take a moment to breathe. Esme adjusted her grip on her staff and held it out, the green orb at the top suddenly glowing with a crisp light, and then the Dancer girl's wound on her arm sealed up. There was still a sore pink mark, but at least the bleeding had stopped. "There, that should do you for now. I'm sorry I can't do better."

"N-no, thank you..." The girl just seemed surprised to be help, as though she had expected the rest of the Shepherds to just leave her to die.

But why...? Esme hadn't caught on to the fact that the girl was formerly Plegian just yet, still too overwhelmed with the battle going on around them. The Smeargle shook her head to clear it, pushing her questions to the back of her mind and taking charge again; this young Meowstic seemed to be willing to work together if she received instruction. "Let's just keep going, and help the others! Stick close to me and we can work together--"

Another Risen staggered towards the two, this one a Sableye. It had that horrible smile on its face as it raised its weapon and swung at them, like a little kid trying to beat candy from a pinata.

Esme and her new companion both acted; the girl practically danced forward, making a spinning movement that made her really look like she was dancing, but her sword flicked forward in the same moment. She struck her opponent's blade, stopping his attack, and gave Esme a moment to send an Ice Shard straight at the jewel-eyed monster. Icy cold air rushed around the three as the spikes of ice struck the Sableye, and Esme shivered a little from the cold that crept up her arms after the attack. Ice Shard always left her fingers feeling numb.

The Meowstic girl spun around her opponent again, her small feet moving with such agility that Esme had a hard time keeping up just with her eyes. Feeling a bit encouraged by how capable her companion was, Esme was able to produce another Ice Shard relatively quickly, and together with another swing from the girl's sword, the Sableye was down.

"We... we did it! Again!" Esme couldn't help but give a breathless little laugh, amazed at how well they were doing for two inexperienced young Shepherds.

Her celebration didn't last long, though, as the Smeargle was attacked from behind. She screeched as something came down, hard, on her back. Esme lurched forward from the impact, stumbling, and fell onto the grass at her Meowstic friend's feet; she looked up, seeing another Sableye, a faint magenta glow still surrounding it after its Zen Headbutt attack and that painful-looking smile glued to its face. Then it started to move, its aura turning dark-- No, not a Night Shade!

Esme was still on the ground, but the Meowstic acted; not leaping towards the Sableye, since ghost attacks was particularly damaging to a Psychic Pokemon, but rather bouncing away, out of reach. "Get outta the way!"

For a moment, Esme thought she was doomed, ducking her head and waiting for the Sableye to use another Zen Heabutt or something to finish her, but... nothing happened. When the terrified Smeargle finally looked up, she saw why... A tall, beautiful, blue-haired Gardevoir stood over the fallen Risen, a gleam in her orange eyes. She didn't say anything to the other women, simply rushing off after her next opponent. Honestly, the strength emanating from the woman stunned Esme, and she found herself staring after her hero with wide emerald eyes.

"A-are you okay?!" The Meowstic girl's panicked voice snapped Esme out of her reverie, and the next thing she knew, delicate hands were helping her to sit up.

"I-I'm alright... that's going to hurt for a while, though..." Esme grimaced as she sat upright, glad that she was still young and wouldn't be crippled by a slight back injury.

The Meowstic seemed terrified of hearing something bad, once again giving Esme the impression that this youth thought everyone disliked her. It was only then that she noticed the red jewels on the girl's outfit, and started to question why they were there, and why this little Meowstic was so nervous about being accepted or rejected... It finally clicked. Still, Esme said nothing about it. Who was she to talk, the child of a... a... she couldn't even think the name. A false mother.

With a little help from her companion, Esme rose to her feet, her fluffy hair a wild mess around her delicate face as she looked around. Only a few straggling Rattata remained of the hoard, and they were being picked off by the other Shepherds. "Most of the Risen have been taken care of... I think we can call today a success." She then turned to smile up at the teenager, who was several inches taller than herself despite being years younger. "Thanks for teaming up with me, I'd say that went surprisingly well for my first taste of combat."

"Thank you for healing my arm," the Meowstic turned it around to thank Esme instead, a tentative smile on her pretty face.

"I'm a Cleric, it's really all I can do..."

"I guess I'm just surprised... I mean, you do know...?"

"That you're Plegian? Yes, I managed to pick up on that."

"And it doesn't bother you? That you healed me anyway?"

"No, it doesn't. Honestly."

The Meowstic seemed a little surprised, yet again. This poor girl really needed some more confidence in herself and the choices in her life. Birth isn't everything. Just keep believing that...

Suddenly changing the topic, Esme rolled her sore shoulders and said, "Let's get going. Everyone else is regrouping now that the Risen are gone..." She took two steps forward, then glanced back to make sure the Meowstic was following, adding, "My name is Esme. Esme Arianida Wyanett."

"M-Makenzie," the girl stuttered a bit, but then smiled and walked after her shorter companion. "I'm Makenzie. It's nice to meet you."

The two walked back towards the others, finally able to relax a little now that the danger had passed... Still, Esme felt incredibly guilty that she hadn't told Makenzie about her own demons. I know she's Plegian, but she doesn't know I'm a... But it just wouldn't make sense to tell her now. Maybe some other time, if we get to know one another better...

As much as she didn't want to tell anyone, she couldn't just hold everything in forever.

It would kill her from the inside.