A true champion of the people!

“Hail, and well met, Noriko. I’m glad to see you’re well.”

Still flat on her back, the armored redhead raised a gauntleted hand in greeting.

In the background, the transport ship burned; an enormous, wood-and-canvas candle. Something critical to its floating soon went up, and the vessel capsized, breaking free from the tree only to sink deeper beneath the shallows.

Given the continuing tongues of flames emerging from the water like swimmers in need of breath, something very oily was very on fire down there.

“At least that’s not going to block the river,” Noriko sighed. “From what these townsfolk have been telling me, Lord, something terrible has happened at Cygnus.”

“Yep,” The knight confirmed, still from her back. “Town’s finally fallen. By the way, my back is broken. Could you, perhaps…?”

Noriko sighed, again. “I might have enough magical energy left to heal you.”

“You’re too kind~”

The wanderer looked back and forth between the two women. One tall, broad, bright red, and grinning in spite of her injury, while the other was an elegant, if notably bottom heavy, woman in priestess robes scowling down at the former. He wondered if they knew each other from Noriko’s adventures at Cygnus.

“Evidently,” the voice snapped. “More importantly, Cygnus has fallen? I did not think the situation would deteriorate so rapidly. We must make best speed north, and rally refugees back to the city. Though it may seem safer to flee for Luxor, few would survive the long and perilous trek.”

The only option was to repel the ****, and use his heavenly aura to turn the tide.

Letting out a sigh of relief as Noriko laid her hands on the bent and curved armor plates, the knight drew herself up to her feet. “I know sweet Noriko well from many tender post-battle healing sessions, but I don’t believe we’ve ever had the pleasure, good sir. Allow me to introduce myself.”

“Here we go,” Noriko said.

The redhead tossed her well-singed cape aside in the air to simulate the wind.

“I am the one, the only! The legend made manifest! You stand, noble sir, before the STAR PALADIN OF CYGNUS, BRIGID WALLACE! Champion of our fair city, and now, champion of your faith, as well! … What’s your name, again?”

Champion?

Noriko stared. “His name…? But he is...”

“Do you think me slow?!” BRIGID WALLACE demanded. “That presence, that stature. I consider myself something of an alpha, but you dwarf me in size, though in power I’d say we’re nearly even. Still, to be above me in any capacity, you can’t be anything but a newborn god, brought into this world to save us all! You’ve certainly saved me today, and I owe you my life. So, it’s yours.”

“You’re pretty cavalier with that alleged life of yours,” Noriko shook her head. “You haven’t changed a bit, Brigid Wallace.”

“Notice that she didn’t offer to become your champion,” the voice said. “I suspect whatever you say, this one will be with you. As an asset or liability? Who’s to say? Humans always tend to surprise you when you least expect it. At least the others seem to look up to her. She could guide them towards faith in you.”

The traveler considered the half-drowned citizens, and watched some of them run over to surround BRIGID WALLACE and welcome her back. Cute catgirl villagers looked up at her with stars in their eyes.

Perhaps that was where ‘STAR PALADIN’ came from?

“I have no name, but I would not be averse to… suggestions.”

BRIGID WALLACE grinned wide. “Oh, but you are new to this world. I’ll think on it as we sail. Come, my friend! Between the two of us, and Noriko helping out from the rear, those monsters won’t know what hit them!”

With that, they set off at what speed the sailboat could manage against the current.

Unlike in Riviera, the great river did not cut directly through this city.

It went through the first two enormous circles of defense walls, covered by titanic wrought-iron drain-gates that could only be opened with mechanisms. Since they were broken, he got out and pushed them up manually, to the delight of the townsfolk watching from the boat.

It was a miracle, but the water remained liquid rather than freezing over for almost the entire year. It was still freezing-cold to stand in.

The central core had a great dockyard on the wall. A vital link, though trade with distant Luxor had been rare and dangerous. If nothing else, fishing kept the city from starving entirely.

“Walls, as a technology, are sound, but have one cardinal flaw,” the voice explained.

If even one hole is knocked in a wall, then the entire structure becomes useless at once. Sailing in, they saw old breaches in the exterior walls, but they saw several newly-smashed breaches on the interior, as well.

Which probably accounted for the smoke rising from the town itself behind its mighty white-bricked seawall, and the stream of refugees pouring south on anything that floated. As well as quite a few things that didn’t.

Half-sunken hulks littered the harbor and nearly made it impassable.

“Yes, the outer walls fell long ago,” BRIGID explained. “Refugees flooded the middle, and it was a tight squeeze, but we managed. We had to hold it; that was our only farmland in the warm season. Without Riviera, we had to at least have that, so we spent a lot of blood to hold. And hold, we did. Until recently.”

She shook her head.

“It was a domino effect, if you will. The food crisis became critical. The siege would be over, even if they didn’t bust on through. But they did, this morning. City leadership tasked my humble self with leading the evacuation efforts. Luxor was the only choice, though it’s many days even by boat.”

“Were you really chosen?” Noriko wondered. “Or did you take it upon yourself to ‘lead the evacuation’, by running off on everyone?”

The STAR PALADIN looked injured at that, and when that didn’t work, she puffed up to twice her present volume. After all, on the deck of the small river-runner, there was little place for private conversation. They were in front of an adoring audience. “Listen, Noriko. People are dying today, so let’s dispense with the usual. Though I will happily banter with you later.”

“... Very well. My Lord, your orders?”

“Bring us in to dock.” He addressed the refugees. “If we do not return, take this river-runner and make for Luxor with my blessing.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” A catgirl villager said, pressing her hands together. “But I pray you will succeed, Lord. Please, save our town!”

“In the end, we all do what we must,” Noriko intoned gravely, refilling her quiver from the boat’s supply.

From somewhere, BRIGID WALLACE had found a deep-blue banner with a field of white stars, and unfurled it. It flapped in the stiff breeze as they drew in to dock, and the three of them leapt out onto the pier.

“The battle is not yet decided.”

BRIGID WALLACE held her banner tight in one gauntleted fist. “Not everyone got out. Most of the holdouts will be in the keep, used to be our chapel. Middle of town, as expected. If anyone else is alive, they will rally to the sight of my banner!”

He hefted his great, burning hammer over a broad shoulder.

“Then we make for the center, with no delay.”