Officer Judy Hopps

[The Price of Loyalty] - Jeanné d'Luc

Every great journey seems to begin with a crash.

Suddenly, Jeanné arose from the ruins with a bewildered start. The last thing she remembered was riding a ship within the territory of the Dusk. Now, as her head spun about, and her gaze frantically searched to and fro, she feared the worst. Where had everyone gone? Those she had designated to protect had been killed, or worse, captured and corrupted. Wandering about the immediate area however, she heard something, the sound of conflict.

With credible haste, heavily armored feet fell quickly against masonry as a lady in white steel plated armor charged through the midst. She had been sent on the behalf of her father, the Noble himself to aid those in need on an Airship. However, it was as the day was beginning to draw into the eve that she heard the sound of troubled voices and the clash of steel and sinew distant. It was tragic to hear as there was but another scream of a human voic in agony. Jeanné could only do what was natural, she sprung at the opportunity to act.

Deftly, steel came smoothly from her scabbard as she drew upon her sacred blade, and she came finally upon something that looked far too lost for most to even intervene. Standing in an unholy rage before her was that of an abomination, a demonic Minotaur who preyed upon the flesh and bones of it's victims, each of whom nursed grievous wounds of the miserable sort.

"It is not time to flee just yet." Announcing her defiant presence was none other than a heavily armoured knight, of which rose her longsword into her grasp so that the flat of the blade kissed the front of her helm. It was a salute, a honorable salute to the towering behemoth who so dared to raise from the hellish depths to cause pain and suffering once again. Her assault began with a simple prayer. Drawing the point of the blade to rest calmly in front of her, her words softly uttered as a simple murmur.

"Our father, who art in heaven." Taking a daring step forward, the blade she bore swung wide, with it then came an arc of pure white light. Of the holiest energies which followed her cause. Those who were so gravely broken and wounded, but still very much alive would feel a resurgence of revitilazation into their weary bodies What were once broken bones soon mended in a few mere moments, and she allowed a long exasperated breadth to escape from her lips before continuing. "Hollowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come," She fervently uttered further, her knees bending as the plated toe of her boot dug into the earth. Her knees tightly bent, coiling the muscle of her legs as if akin to a high pressure spring. "They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Suddenly, she charged forward, surging forward across the ground valiantly towards the Minotaur.

"Give us this day, our daily bread." The softened prayer continued, with such brutal swiftness the maiden of steel slinked low across the ground, narrowly avoiding the devastating swing of the Minotaur's weapon so closely, she could feel the wind of it as it passed overhead. Her blade reeled backward, aiming seemingly at first towards the demon's torso, yet this was far from the truth. A coy feint, as her tabard of black and white checkered texture soon slid against the texture of the earth as she her self slid between it's legs daringly. "And forgive us for our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." This abominations massive size was both a strength, and a weakness.

Strength in the thought that each of it's blows could crush bone and flesh, weakness in the thought that critical points. Tendons, joints, and anything of the sort would be so much more vulnerable. With such thought, a nimble arc of her back brought the blade swiftly about in a wide arc to slice at the Minotaur's achilles tendon, and such graceful motion carried the velocity to allow the Paladin to rise rapidly akin to a fickle flame, bringing about the devastating edge of the blade to slice at the back of it's knees with malicious intent.

 "Bring us not unto temptation." Coldly, the blade rose in one hand to point at the demonic beast as she stepped back. Hoping that her assault would draw it's attention to her, rather than that of it's previous victims. Hoping, praying that perhaps she could grant then an opportunity to deliver a mortal blow to such a monster.

Those who had been Loyal and sacrificed so much now had reinforcement of a heavily armoured kind.

"And deliver us from evil. Amen."

Swinging her sword menacingly about, all she could offer as she measured herself up against the Minotaur was a side glance to the remaining few, and she readied herself for yet another assault. Either that, or preparation for the retaliation from such a monstrosity.