Elegant Paladin Sarah

Ch. 1: The Ultimate Woman and the Spirited Genius

2 years ago…

Within recently discovered ancient-looking ruins, a college class was exploring. The most enthusiastic amongst the students was a 17-year-old man of half-Asian half-American heritage.

His golden skin slightly was tanned. He had brown eyes and was fairly average sized (5’9”) but well built. His medium-length black hair was kept underneath the navy blue baseball cap, with the back sticking out from the gap of the hat and above the adjuster. He was dressed in a red shirt with a yellow clock embroidered over the left breast below a blue ‘A’ and a green ‘K’, a rainbow-colored scarf around his neck, black denim trousers, pure white socks, brown shoes, and the baseball cap. The girls hinted he had a decently handsome face and body (but he hadn’t gotten wind of that) despite his slightly gruff appearance.

“Long time ago,” said this young student to his fellow classmates, “these ruins were built for a purpose… unknown to man. Yet by rotten luck twenty years ago, it was figured that quite possibly that it was known to woman.”

One of his classmates was amazed, “Huh? To woman?” The same young male student nods, “Indeed. A tribe—— no, perhaps a great cult of women, mysterious yet special and powerful women.” Another asks, “How would you know about that, Mr. Kamadom?” The young man, Aztoro Kamadom, shrugs “I’ve been studying these ruins since last night, deciphering this alphabet.”

Walking out of the ruins, Aztoro continued, “This site is a treasure left by the Queens of Heaven, a mysterious cult that was said to be composed of human women with skills and abilities that can only be considered to equal that of the great heavenly angels above. How could they have possibly known about mathematics and other complicated construction such as this? They have looked to the heavens and found the answer. I’m still trying to figure it out.”

“Hey, Shaggy!” called out one of the other students, “Could you stop pretending to be an archeologist and give us a hand?” “He can’t!” called another. Aztoro, confused, asks “Why, Mr. Melman?” Melman, came to Aztoro and said to him “Pr. Zeum wants to see you back at the University now.” Aztoro sighed, “I wonder if this is about another question about that last three-page essay on Ancient Greece… again.”

Within an hour, Aztoro returned to the doors of Odekaludus University, the place he had spent most of his life at since he was 14. Prior to that he went to an American school for the gifted in San Francisco, California.

A fuzzy-faced janitor wearing a fedora and striped shirt came by and asked Aztoro, “Did somebody spill a cup of coffee?” He closes his eyes and pointed left, “Uh, over there, Fred.” Fred the janitor nodded to the boy, “Thank you.”

Aztoro looked down the arched multicolored entry hall and found the professor who called for him at the end of the hall.

Pr. Thaddeus Zeum, a Greek with catlike eyes and ear-length graying black hair, clad in a purple suit, was the leading history professor in Odekaludus University.

Seeing a large royal blue colored suitcase, a jet-black carry-on suitcase, a plain white overnight bag, and a tote bag with a sapphire-colored stag beetle communing with an emerald-colored iguanodon on the side filled with books, each bearing a tag with Aztoro’s name on it, next to the feet of Pr. Zeum, Aztoro said “Hey, some of those books in that tote bag look like the ones from my dorm room.” Pr. Zeum said to the young man, “They are. Come into my office, please. We need to talk.”

They go into the office and sit down…

Confused, Aztoro asked “What did I do wrong, sir?” “Nothing, young man” said Pr. Zeum to Aztoro. “But we do have some problems. First, you are everyone’s best student and the student body sees that as a major problem. Second, you have had too much book-learning and not enough practical experience. Third, you already had an IQ of over 600 when you were 10 years old. Fourth, you know far too much for us to ever give you a grade below a hundred percent in anything. Finally, speaking for the counseling staff, you don’t know what you’re missing. People’s expectations of your brains would do and what you’re capable of have kept you trapped in academia all your life. You are in serious need of some real world experience. You need it now. And you need it badly.”

Shocked, the young man exclaimed “Real world?” The professor explained, “Real world. You need to get away from schools, books, classrooms, other geniuses. You need to meet and get to know normal average people: people who cannot read 2000 words a minute, people who know things one cannot learn from books, people who live all aspects of life to the fullest. You need experience living in your own place, paying your own expenses, etc.——” Aztoro numbly said, “I understand, sir.”

Pr. Zeum handed Aztoro a stack of pamphlets on part-time jobs, apartments, etc. and said “Before going out, go see Pr. Doyle at the graduate counseling service. I’ve arranged for your stay at the University guest housing, room 006.” Aztoro nodded and said, “Thank you, sir.” He quietly picked up his luggage before walking toward the doors. He turned back to look at the hall one last time, before walking out of the hall.

Almost 2 years later, Aztoro was re-telling his story to his fellow workers in the laboratory of the Washington D.C. Police Department——

“And that was how I ended up on this crummy part-time job in this stinking yet historically significant city,” sighed Aztoro. Aztoro had grown taller (6 feet high already) and had his hair cut shorter.

One of his superiors who listened to his life story (for the 11th time), Dr. Abraham Scuto, said to the young man “You need to find a girlfriend, young man.” Aztoro said, “I’m a patrolman and a laboratory assistant, I don’t have any time off for a girlfriend. Besides, what kind of girl would want a guy who can’t go to school anymore?”

Hearing more people coming into the lab, Aztoro picked up a purple package of Hyper-Nutrition Food Pellets and chewed a handful of the multi-colored peanut-sized cubes before the officers came in with new evidence. Disgusted, a pretty officer gagged “How can you eat those more often than normal food? They’re almost rock-hard, they smell, and if that’s not bad enough they taste so bad they make a healthy man puke for hours!”

Aztoro corrected and explained, “The record for the longest vomiting session because of these pellets is technically and actually 4.25 hours. Each contain all the nutrients necessary for a growing human to attain near perfect health and proportions and anyone brave enough to face the taste of this scientifically made food for long enough, will develop a strong stomach. I’ve been eating these for nearly 10 years now.”

The officer asked, “Nothing else but that?” Aztoro shook his head, “Nah, I have real food every once and a while. Besides, I’m slowing down on these so I can later digest real food properly.”

Getting back to the point, he asked her “What have you got today, Sergeant Blake?” She handed a small cardboard box to him, he looked inside it to find a handful of bullets. After a first glance at the bullets, he sneered a bit, “Interesting.” She superciliously asked, “What is?”

He carefully removed a projectile from its case with padded tweezers, shaking off the gunpowder to find something else inside. Suddenly noticing something on the projectile itself, Aztoro frowned slightly before taking out a magnifying glass and found ornate symbols in the back of it, then broke it open to reveal a lemon yellow substance. “Unholy symbols on armor-piercing bullets with compacted sulfur cores, how very peculiar.”

The second-to-last part made the other cops look at Aztoro nervously. “Armor-piercing bullets?” snarled an African-American lieutenant named Rollin. Aztoro nodded, “Yeah, also known as ‘cop killers’, like in ‘Lethal Weapon 3’ but with compacted sulfur in the middle. Somebody somewhere must mean business.”

One officer asked, “What do you mean?” Another said, “I didn’t think sulfur would be lethal.” The doctor next to Aztoro replied, “Only when taking a large enough amount can it be lethal.”

Aztoro asked, “What was the old name for sulfur?” Everyone replied, “What?” “Didn’t anybody read the Old Testament?” Sergeant Blake gasped, “Brimstone.” Aztoro nodded, “Correct. Somebody must be planning something big where these were going and may have believed that these bullets will send any interferers, whether they be police or the army, straight to Hell with their souls burning.”

One of the officers exclaimed, “We’ve caught 24 crates containing 144 boxes loaded with these bullets just off the beltway, on a truck heading to a plane bound for South Carolina.” Sergeant Blake asked, “Where in South Carolina? We could send on special officer undercover there to investigate.”

Aztoro picked up the box, which carries more of that same bullet he examined, and looked at its address. “Actarnaia…” wondered Aztoro, “sounds like a city in a fantasy game or novel.”

Later… he went to the chief for permission to go to Actarnaia for the specific investigation.

Chief Harry Zeddemore said to the young man, “I’d like to give you an expense paid vacation to Florida or Hawaii, because for someone like you needs it after these past 14 months. But I’m not sure if you should go to that city, Mr. Kamadom.” Aztoro was confused, “What on earth do you mean, sir?” Chief Zeddemore explained, “I’ve heard that there’s someone with unbelievable golden hair and a lot of power living there. Not to mention rumors about monsters and lots of things out of D&D, but the powerful blonde bit was more popular.”

Aztoro showed greater interest “Someone with golden hair and a lot of power…”

————Statistics of Actarnaia (from what Aztoro studied recently)————

Actarnaia

-Flag: rectangular, white with the seal

-Seal: a majestic golden eagle in flight while holding a shield bearing 3 intertwined rings in one claw and a cross in the other while it’s encircled with six colored dots.

-Coordinates: 32°N 80°W

-Country: United States of America

-State: South Carolina

-Districts

--Eritran: the dark north district. The slums are located on the inside edge. Originally the first piece of settlement of Actarnaia before wars laid it in ruin.

--Italis: the multinational district. The Actarnaia Coliseum is a sports area, which appears to be an amalgam of the Tokyo Dome or the Roman Coliseum. The harbor is sort of connected with the beach.

--Beachgate: facing the Atlantic Ocean is a town with a beach which is popular in the summer.

--Lucicova: the friendly south district. The Actarnaia Lyceum college is located at the inside edge.

--Japysas: western most district of the city. The Actarnaia Airport is located on the outer edge of this district.

--Cliffswitch: the rural region facing heavily forested cliffs

--Xanuras: central district of Actarnaia, where most higher rate businesses are held.

-Settled: November 2th, 1683

-Nicknames: the Modern D&D City, Dungeons and Dragons’ Paradise, the Great Melon, the Modern City Envisioned by Gary Gygax

-Mayor: Edwina Gomotheg II

-Area

--City: 18.3 sq mi

--Land: 33.3 sq mi

--Water: 9 sq mi

--Urban: 12.9 sq mi

--Metro: 15.8 sq mi

-Elevation: 25 ft

-Population

--City: 37,975

--Density: 13,000/sq mi

--Urban: 34,000

--Metro: 36,000

--Demonym: Actarnaian

-Time zone: EST (UTC-5)

————

Today…

To make himself less conspicuous, Aztoro has decided to let his hair be free, long, and unruly. He has also dressed in a white t-shirt with the ‘Lord of the Rings’ logo, a pair of blue jeans, a black stretch belt, a navy blue trench coat, and black buckled boots.

When Aztoro shows up in the city, it is better than what he could ever imagine. It has beautiful skyscrapers, some of which remind him of churches— even the Vatican. Some of the smaller buildings are almost like modern castles. The park is full of beauty, tempting him to stay around. Little stands and carts are scattered throughout the park.

Aztoro hums ‘The Road Goes Ever On’ to himself as he walks down the sidewalk, when someone suddenly catches his eye—— a young woman; a very extraordinarily and unbelievably beautiful woman.

She is a little shorter than him (5’7”); she has an hourglass figure and seems to be a perfect combination build of athletic, powerful, and busty. She has a healthy creamy peach skin tone, a long flowing mass of golden-blonde hair with a large braided ponytail cascading down her back and lovely bangs. The hair appears as if it could reach to her thighs if let down. Her blue eyes are like stars. She is dressed in a simple red button-up blouse with a blue collar, a sky-blue short skirt, and high-heeled red shoes and she is carrying two bags of groceries with her.

Aztoro is entranced. He thinks to himself “My gosh! She’s gorgeous! Those eyes, that incredible hair, and she must be a F-cup!” A sweet-sounding female voice says to him, “Nice to meet you too, sir.” He gasps in surprise! He turns to the same girl, who is smiling just as sweetly at him, but with no sign of negative emotions towards him. He quietly says, “Hello, my name is Aztoro Kamadom. What’s your name?”

She says, “Look out for the crook.” Confused, Aztoro replied “Huh?” He feels someone brush up beside him, spotting a ski-masked man in black leather attempting to run away… with his wallet! “Hey!” he yelled.

Before Aztoro could give chase, the girl steps on a pebble and it shoots upwards against a nearby building, bounces right at the pickpocket’s right temple, and knocks him out cold!

As Aztoro gasps in surprise his wallet fell into his hands.

“Who in the world are you?” gapes Aztoro. The young woman gives another friendly smile as she stands straight and faces Aztoro, saying in introduction “To some, I am called the Princess of the Heavens…” closing her eyes, she places a palm over her heart as she continues “however, I know that I am only one of them…” finally, she says, “and my real name is… Sarah Tenuciel.”

After a moment’s pause, Aztoro blinks and shakes his head, “You know a lot of that would make perfect sense.”

(A/N: ‘Sarah’ means ‘princess’ or ‘goddess’, her surname broken up a bit can mean ‘heaven’ in French and Japanese.)

Aztoro turns to grab the goon who tried to rob him. After doing so he pauses in realization, “Wait a minute… Princess of Heaven? One of them?” He quickly turns to try to catch sight of Sarah Tenuciel once more, only to find her about 40 yards away, disappearing into the crowd. He frowns slightly, “Something’s oddly familiar about what she said.”

Later, after Aztoro handed the crook to the police, he stops at a local mini-mart for a few groceries.

At the counter, he sighs to himself, “I’ve got to really slow down on ordering more bags of the Hyper-Nutrition Food Pellets.”

Then he finds himself with a shopping basket full of chips, cookies, doughnuts, hot dogs, gelatin desserts, and soda. He shakes his head.

Next to him, he finds another lady; she has ageless grey-green eyes that are like a cat. Her silky, wavy, short red hair is worn in a style that reminds him of a good cop in pursuit (with him being the suspect). She is very tall (about 5’10”) and has a feminine build. Her peach tone skin is partially tanned. Her clothing is mostly orange and attractive.

She shows off his wallet in her hand and says, “You’ve dropped this, Mr. Ka-may-dom.” Aztoro blinks and slowly says, “Uh… thank you.”

As he turns to pay for his small amount of groceries, he notices an 8-ounce tub of chocolate pudding, which was definitely not on his original list.

“Huh?” replies Aztoro. The woman smirks and says, “Thank you.” Then Aztoro says, “Hey!”

However, Aztoro let the woman get away with her bit mischief. Later, they are sitting on a bench near a fountain in the park.

As she eats her pudding, Aztoro sighs before growling at her, “That was not my idea of a good time, miss. Besides, you owe me 4 dollars for the pudding, plus about $200 in fines for theft by deception!”

Coolly, she says “I’ll tell you what, Azzi-Toro——” Angered, Aztoro shouts in interruption, “Hey! My name is Aztoro Kamadom; ‘Az’ like ‘as’, ‘toro’ like the word used in bullfighting, ‘Kama’ as in the Japanese war sickle, and ‘dom’ like Dom DeLuise.” He looks upwards toward heaven and says, “I can’t believe I’ve explained the pronunciation of my name like that.”

Still with her apparent coolness, she says “Thank you for telling me how to correctly say your name, Mr. Kamadom.” Aztoro sighs, “That’s Officer Kamadom. What else do you know about me?” She confidently says, “I know everything about you: Aztoro Kamadom; age 18; born May 2nd, 2000 in Greenfield, New Hampshire, the United States of America; a Taurus; blood type AB; graduate of Odekalus University in England; majored in all fields, minored in none; holder of a PhD, summa cum laude at every level; IQ of 607; occupation: police patrolman and laboratory scientist; family: mother, Japanese diplomat Tomoyo, and father, U.S. General Alexander Kamadom. Plus an older brother, Ryu Kamadom, who disappeared 12 years ago and a 24-year-old sister, Izumi.”

Aztoro shakes his head, “That’s just plain wrong; I didn’t graduate from Odekaludus, I was kicked out because I was too smart for them and they said I needed to go into the big bad real world! Also, I haven’t had much contact with my family since I transferred to the University; all I ever did was train and study. Ryu tried to kill me, his own flesh and blood, before he disappeared. Wherever you got that information, it’s outdated and criminally wrong!”

With her cool atmosphere undisturbed still, she replies “Really? I don’t believe I’ve heard of that.”

Aztoro sighs, “Now it’s my turn—— Corrine Nellie Mayer; age 27; born in Columbia, Carolina on November 17th, 1993; a Scorpio; blood type AB; Columbia College graduate; majored in art and law, minored in physics; IQ of 123; occupation: police lieutenant in Actarnaia, part-time painter, and special field agent of the CIA; family: mother named Shauna Cleveland-Mayer and father named Marcus Mayer; you live at home in a small apartment with an Alaskan malamute, a Jack Russell terrier, and a German shepherd. Do I paint an accurate picture?”

Corrine sighs in defeat, “Your deductive skills are perfect, and you didn’t even need to research about me. It’s as almost as if you could actually read my mind.” He produces a crimson wallet in his left hand and presents it to her, “Actually I picked your pocket. Now we’re even.”

Taking her wallet back, she asks “Why are you outside of your jurisdiction?” He says, “I’m here because something interesting is happening in this city and I want to find out what.”

He then asks her, “Are you assigned to me for some reason?” She explains, “We were investigating on this city for a while too. You’re not the only snoop in the book. Also, we broke into the Washington D.C. Police Department computers and found you going here to investigate. So expect me to hang around you from time to time.” Aztoro says, “Just stay off my back, moocher” as he took off to find an apartment.

He starts looking for an apartment in the city, especially one with all the specifications he needs to live in; and preferably not in the slums, where he’s heard mention about abandoned homes turn haunted and other scary things at night. He finds a café called Sonia’s Saloon and his stomach tells him to go there. He sighs in personal defeat, “Might as well eat here first. I’ve got at least 44 grand left in my bank account and 220 in my wallet.”

Inside looks pretty ordinary; glass double doors, white walls, a diner-style counter, a jukebox, blue-green tables, and minor decorations. Some of the patrons began to comment, “Would you look at what just walked through the door?” “Who would’ve guessed the Society of Creative Anachronism would be in town?” “He must’ve robbed a dead LOTR fan to get that shirt.” Then they burst into laughter.

Aztoro shrugs the comments off, figuring them to be joking about him. Surprisingly, just by exhaling, he is unintentionally able to get the patrons laughing at him to stop. He asks himself in his head, “Now really, I’m not that intimidating. Am I?”

He walks up to the counter and sits down in a stool in front of it, looking out the front window. He thinks to himself, “I know I’ve come to this city to locate the target location of those bullets, but something is telling me that this city is calling out to me to stay here for other reasons.”

He looks to see the waitress. This girl reminds him of the head lunch lady, Roberta Englund, at Odekaludus, apparently sweet-tempered, informative, and likes to work at her job. She has green eyes that are like two pieces of jade. Her silky, wavy, grass-green hair is worn in a style that reminds him of a river. She is at average height and has an elegant build. She has thin eyebrows and long-fingered hands. Her clothing under the apron is artistic and strange, with a mostly yellow and green color scheme. Her nametag reads ‘Sonia Fosby’.

“So, stranger” says Sonia, “what’ll it be?” Aztoro asks, “What’s the midday special meal?” “Hamburger and French fries. Plus, I highly recommend you have a rainbow sundae for dessert.” Aztoro shrugs, “Okay.”

“By the way,” says Aztoro “I’m looking for an apartment in this city where I can stay for a while.” Sonia asks, “Like how much?” “Uh… up to 700 dollars with air conditioning and heat?” asks Aztoro. Surprised, Sonia says, “That’ll get you only two rooms.” Aztoro shrugs, “I’ve got only four bags of luggage.” Sonia says, “Okay, there’s an apartment to suit you just next door. It’s called the Artisan Hall.” Aztoro blinks, “Isn’t that a coincidence?”

Meanwhile, the strange blonde-haired girl, Sarah, is cooking a meal in a pearl white room. She quietly says with a smile, “That boy, Aztoro, still believes in magic. He just needs to open his mind a little bit more and show more of his potential in this city.”

Aztoro is looking at an apartment building of red bricks and white-grey masonry next to the café, somewhat vandalized with graffiti around the ground level. Above its 7-foot doors is a plaque that reads ‘The Artisan Hall’. Aztoro takes it at first to be an unpopular place, most likely for people who’d like to get away in secret from the bullies in the populace. Next door to the building is an old 6-story building, possibly an abandoned office block or warehouse.

Walking through the doors, Aztoro sees that the place inside is really nice; ceilings a foot higher than the doors, wallpaper of white with green oak leaves, wooden floors polished red-brown, and violet-and-soft green furnishing.

Aztoro looks around the place for a bit before going up to a small office, he asks the brown-haired person dwelling in it, “Excuse me, but do you have any rooms to spare?” the man behind the desk asks, “Are you a new tenant?” “I’m looking forward to it, sir.” “Then you have to speak up with the landlord, Mr. Kevin Peterson, on the 2nd floor.”

As Aztoro walks off toward the stairs, he encounters someone new again; a man who towers over him by half a foot and is quite muscular and athletic. He has light brown skin, wavy shoulder-length black hair, and brown eyes. He is dressed in average-looking clothing in colors of red and brown.

Aztoro heard the man at the office downstairs call out, “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something; the landlord/manager doesn’t seem to want to see anyone. Heck, even I never seen his face when I took the job.” Aztoro shrugs, “Sounds like he’s the shy type.” The man next to him says, “That’s a very good guess. You can find his room in the door labeled ‘Landlord/Manager’ with a silver number plate reading 205.” Aztoro shakes the man’s hand, “Thank you.”

Aztoro went to Door 205 and knocked upon it, “Hello? I’m a interested in renting an apartment.” The tall man places a hand on the young man’s shoulder and says, “I thank you.” Aztoro turns in surprise and asks, “You’re the landlord and manager, Kevin Peterson?” The tall man nods, “In the flesh.”

Kevin brought Aztoro into his room, which is decorated in dark green like the colors of a cave and a forest. On the ceiling he sees stalactite-like lamps lightly lighting the room. He finds a jar full of teeth on the desk, right next to a glass jar full of gold coins labeled ‘from the Generous Leprechauns and Dwarves’.

Aztoro says, “This room is a troll’s kingdom!” Worried, Kevin asks, “Why’d you say that?” Aztoro explains, “It’s far too clean to be a pigsty.” Kevin sighs, “Thank you.”

Aztoro asks, “Are you really the landlord, or just another tenant?” Kevin sighs, “I am the landlord, but the tenants, excluding you, believe I’m just another one of them here because they don’t know that I own this place. It’s just that I don’t work very well with people who judge people before they get to know them, I’m one of the most unpopular male Actarnians because of it.”

Aztoro asks, “Any other bit of truth I should be aware of?” Kevin says, “Another reason I’m avoided, which they don’t know as of yet, is that I am an unfortunate descent mixed breed of human, ogre, troll, goblin, and giant. All the races mentioned don’t like me, yet they don’t know me.” “From what I’ve heard from the rumors about this town, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised” said Aztoro.

Kevin gulps nervously, “I hope you do not mind having someone like me as a landlord.” Aztoro says, “There were times I wondered if I’d had worse, but they were roommates jealous of my extraordinary gift. So someone like you is less than common in this world, but since you’re you and I’m me I’m just going to have to say that they all need to experience the world firsthand.”

Kevin smiles, finding hope, “You really think I can change the world so that it could accept me?” Aztoro nods, “I’m getting used to the world I’ve been preparing for, all I need to do is find my place in it. But certainly, I bet they will someday.”

Then Aztoro asks, “Is there anything I can do to cut the rent a little?” “Can you fix plumbing?” asks Kevin. Aztoro nods. “Can you do electrician work?” Aztoro nods again. “Fix furnaces, repair common machines, etc.?” Aztoro nods, “I can do those. Even computers.” The manager pats the young man on the back and smiles, “Then welcome home, Superintendent Kamadom.”

Then he shows Aztoro to his room, 501, with no one entering his own to avoid suspicion from the other tenants.

Door 501 is painted white and has two furnished rooms, plus a small kitchen and bathroom, and comes with air conditioning and heat; just what Aztoro expected.

Settling some of his luggage down, the young man spots a package of his Hyper-Nutrition Food Pellets fall out. Aztoro says, “Uh… most people disapprove of the flavor of these.”

“Uh… would you like some Hyper-Nutrition Food Pellets?” asks Aztoro nervously, presenting the bag to Kevin. “Who wouldn’t?” excitedly exclaimed Kevin as he snags the bag before he gulping down its entire contents, without coughing or retching. Aztoro sighs, ‘I guess that he’s used to such wretched flavors.’

After Kevin was finished with the bag of Hyper-Nutrition Food Pellets, he offers help to Aztoro, “You wouldn’t mind if I helped you settle in?” The young man shakes his head, “Not at all, Mr. Kevin.”

Kevin is decent enough to make the unpacking perfect for Aztoro.

The reminder chime on his cell phone rings. He checks it to find out that his birthday is nine days away and he’ll be 19 soon. He sighs to himself, “Maybe later.” Kevin blinks, “What is it?” “A reminder on my cell phone telling me that I’ll be turning 19 years old in 9 days” answers the young man. Kevin asks, “No family?” Aztoro says, “Too busy.”

Kevin asks, “Are you a policeman undercover?” Aztoro asks, “How do you figure?” Kevin says “Your badge is too real to be a toy and the weapon is what Washington D.C. police use.”

Aztoro sighs, “I don’t suppose you’d know anything about a blonde with a lot of power.” Kevin says, “Actually, practically everyone in this city does and she’s a real heroine; a magical superhero.” Aztoro can’t believe what he just heard from his new landlord. He asks, “Who is she?” Kevin answers, “The Elegant Paladin Sarah.”

At that, Aztoro thinks of the first Sarah he met upon arrival, ‘but that’s impossible… but could she be the same person?’

After settling in the room for a few minutes, Aztoro works on some of the plumbing on the 4th floor and declares to himself “I’m going to find this blonde magical heroine and keep her under surveillance until I’ve got full confirmation. I am going to do it.”

As soon as he finishes his work in the hotel, he heads out the door. He then remembers about the mooching CIA agent, Corrine Mayer, who is assigned to him as long as he’s in Actarnaia. He knows that he has to be on his toes because of her and think of a good place to start.

Spotting a newspaper box next to him, he reads an interesting headline; “Slums Infested.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Tenuciel is enjoying a nice soaking in a hot tub.

In the sky outside her window, she sees a falcon perching on a tree branch outside. She smiles, “What a special-looking falcon.”

Sarah’s eyes widen a bit, “So, danger is coming again.”

Back with Aztoro, he went north in the dark Eritran city district. The inner edge of this district facing the innermost district is the slums, which have aged red brick buildings housing frightened citizens facing poverty.

Aztoro frowns slightly, “Does the sun rarely shine here? No wonder why it’s so dark, even in the daytime.” “UGH! I don’t see how these people can stand it here!” groans a familiar female voice.

Not surprised, Aztoro smiles slightly and says “Nice to see you trying to follow someone who got interested what was said in the day’s paper, Agent Mayer.” He turns to see Corrine Mayer, slightly soaked in dirty water, she frowns “Why were you heading here on your first day?” He answers, “With the cases of disappearing people being reported around the slums up here and such ridiculous monsters, it seems like the most logical place to catch sight of the elusive Elegant Paladin Sarah.”

Corrine’s eyes widen in shock, “You’re here to challenge her?” Aztoro shakes his head, “No, I’m originally here because of another case that regards a shipment of strange bullets. But the rumor of a golden-haired girl with a lot of power also interested me and tempted me more to come to town.” Corrine frowns “Then go home to your apartment and watch ‘Sailor Moon’ on a video-sharing website, you young idiot!”

Aztoro pulls out a pocket personal computer from his trench coat and looks into it, “and I would after I get to getting the information I need from Sarah.” Corrine scowls, “What the hell are you doing now? Your damn fingers are so fast I can’t keep track of what you’re doing, especially on that little screen!” Aztoro frowns, “I was given the nickname by some of my classmates at middle school as the ‘God of Technology’ because of what I can do with all technology known to man that comes within my grasp. Just be glad I’m on the side of good.”

Looking westward, Aztoro pockets his computer, climbs a drainage pipe on the side of a building, and says, “I’m heading for the darker alleys of Eritran, there’s a news reporting crew interviewing just east from here! One of them is using his or her cell phone to send messages.” Corrine gasps, “Hey! Slow down, will you! I’m not that fast!”

Aztoro dashes and leaps across rooftop to rooftop towards his destination. The news crew is surprised. The new reporter, who happens to be one of the attractive-looking men stations use to broadcast, exclaims “Now that is one dramatic entrance.”

Corrine stops by and pants for breath, “What kind of super-genius are you? You’re too impulsive and energetic!” Aztoro superciliously retorts, “What kind of CIA agent are you? You’re too lazy and you owe me 204 dollars in recompense for your mooching.”

Turning to the news crew, Aztoro asks, “What happened, sir?” The cameraman gulps, “Uh, cocoons have been reported in the underground tunnels just north of here, just over at Schneider Avenue.” Aztoro nods, “Thank you” and then runs off for the said street.

Running towards the direction of the street in question, Corrine continues to try to make him avoid the possible dangers——

“Listen, you super-smart idiot,” states Corrine “There have been nearly 500 battles involving strange monsters and that dumb blonde bimbo called Elegant Paladin Sarah for the last 9 years. What she causes is severe feelings of inadequacy in other people trying to take on these creatures and/or genuine super-villains.” Aztoro ripostes back, “Well, that’s why I intend to stay in this city for at least 3 months so I can find out why things are unusual here, as well as to find this elegant paladin/magical girl and keep her under a week of surveillance. It’s the only way to prove if she’s the real deal.”

The CIA agent says, “You’ll have yourself to blame in the end!” The young man confidently says, “Try me.”

As soon as they get to the dark street, which retains some of its former elegance… Aztoro spots some webbing on the ground and examines it “This gossamer… it doesn’t belong to any normal arachnid in this state… nor in this continent. It’s too unnatural, wretched… evil.”

Corrine huffs, “Your record never said anything about arachnophobia,” then she superciliously mocks him, “Or are you too embarrassed to admit that you’re petrified of itsy-bitsy spiders?” Aztoro frowns, “No, some people have a bit of a sixth sense for things, including me. Plus the capture-spiral silk has tiny traces of human blood drenched into it.” He presents it to the CIA agent, “Taste.”

Reluctantly, Corrine does as he asked her to do. After tasting it, she gags and says “Ugh! It is human blood!” Aztoro says, “We may have already lost someone, we better hurry before we lose another.”

They hear a girl scream in terror toward the entrance of the tunnels. Looking in the direction of the scream they find a young girl being wrapped in a silvery silk-like substance being shot from within the shadows of the tunnels. Aztoro runs after the victim first, with Corrine following behind him.

Aztoro leaps toward the girl’s mysterious shadow-clad captor, zooms past her, and then crashes onto something. POOOIISHH! Aztoro picks up a spider leg as big as a yardstick, “Big ass spiders.” Grossed out upon arrival, Corrine says “Oh god… I hate big bugs.” Aztoro says “Great, I have found a way to get rid of you.”

Corrine rips off some of the silk off the young girl, who has mud-brown eyes, medium-length silky green hair, and 15 years of age. Her purple dress is simple and looks like it’s been with her since childhood, which possibly indicates that she lives in the slums. Corrine asks her, “Young lady, why did you come here?” The child says, “Because my friend was taken two nights ago. I wanted to make sure she was still okay.”

Aztoro’s face softens as he says to her, “Don’t worry, kid. It’ll be alright.” Corrine frowns, “HELLO! Giant spiders, blood in webs, mysterious disappearances—— Doesn’t it add up to either of you?” Aztoro frowns with determination, “Just watch her, Agent Mayer!”

But the CIA agent is not one to listen to younger officers like that; she decides to chase him with the younger girl beside her.

Reaching the garage where cars used to park, the three humans spot a room full of cocoons. A giant spider jumps from the ceiling and lands in front of Aztoro and the two girls.

Amazed by the arachnid monster, Aztoro said, “Man, this city is usually on condition blue in the Homeland Security Advisory System. But to have monsters like these coming out here from time to time, these are times for red alert.” “We’d like to deal with these sort of problem on our own,” states Corrine, hoping to make a point with the young man.

Aztoro sighs, “A thousand bucks a month for working on patrol for two and a half years, I spend a few for police materials and living expenses… and now I have to trade it all back for a lousy can of raid.” The young girl with them gulps, “That’d better be a big can!”

Pulling out a gun, Aztoro says to Corrine “Agent Mayer, I’ll try to hold off these nasty arachnids, try to see if there’re people in those cocoons that are still alive.”

Corrine growls, “I don’t know, you hot-blooded fool, because you’re a——“

BANG! Aztoro shoots the spider in the head, “That’s it for you, Spidey.” He then immediately crushes the demonic beast underfoot with a swift drop kick. SMOOSH!

Amazed, Corrine finishes her sentence, “A bad mother.”

After blowing the smoke from his gun’s barrel, Aztoro spins it by the trigger ring, “Well, eating Hyper Nutrient Food Pellets, reading all types of books, and training your body for years can do one at least some good.”

The young girl looks at the cocoons, “They’re moving!”

Aztoro walks up to a bulging cocoon and rips it open to reveal a young boy in a black and white suit, like he came from a fancy party or something of the like. Aztoro blinks, “Are you alright?” The boy groans, “I think I’m going to throw up.” Aztoro points toward his right “Do it in that direction, I just bought this shirt days ago.”

Corrine asks, “Do you think you can escape from here?” The young boy shrugs his shoulders as though in a drugged manner, “I don’t know if I could on my own.” Aztoro takes the young girl by the shoulders and says, “There’s a time when a hero is born inside us, child. I need you to be strong and see if there are other people still alive in those cocoons.” The young girl nods, “Okay.”

Corrine takes the two children to other cocoons and rips open the cocoons to free any other victims, as Aztoro attacks more spiders of unusual size coming toward them.

Corrine says, “They’re all alive, I’m going to get them out of here! I’ll come back with some help, and perhaps a giant rolled-up newspaper!” before leaving with the fortunate captives of the arachnid monsters.

Giving the escapees more time, Aztoro fights off the spider monsters——

“AH-PA-PA-PA!” cries Aztoro as he slams his elbow into a nearby spider.

“HYAH!” Aztoro cries out while giving a karate chop to a spider’s head and thorax.

Unleashing a mighty kung fu style kick onto another spider mosnter, Aztoro shouts out “CHOWA!”

“Naïve!” mutters Aztoro as he picks up a spider monster by its leg and throws it against the wall in judo style, squashing it.

“Hungry?” asks Aztoro to another spider monster, “then chew on this.” BANG! He shoots it through its body.

Pointing his gun at another spider monster, Aztoro says “Hasta la vista, Spidey!” BANG! He blows another away.

After killing several more spider monsters, Aztoro looks around him carefully and calls out, “Anyone else want a piece of me?”

A string of spider silk catches his left foot and drags him in toward another tunnel!

“I’m being keelhauled!” gasps Aztoro, “But that won’t stop me!” Flipping his gun so he can wield it like a small hammer, he smashes the head into the spider monster that reeled him forward.

Feeling the legs of the spider that almost had him earlier while getting back on his feet, he blinks and then gulps “This one is 2.38 times bigger than the others I’ve faced earlier.”

Another spider monster jumps onto his back, he grabs it and yells out “No piggybacks!”

While Aztoro is holding more of the unusually large spiders back, “There’s no way that I’m going to die here and now, especially with the safety of others counting on us. I just hope those reinforcements will arrive sooner rather than later.”

“Who can save you if you get killed?” said a very familiar female voice from nearby, “While you are an accomplished martial artist, an excellent shot, and a very good thinker with a well-trained body and acute senses, you should really leave the rest to me.”

Aztoro looks toward the exit, where the light of twilight is still shining in, to see a familiar figure walking towards the battle. As the woman comes into the light, Aztoro is surprised to see who it is; Sarah Tenuciel. “Not that I mind any help from you,” blinks Aztoro in confusion “but unless you’ve got something to back up that confidence of yours?”

“Well…” says the young blonde as she reaches into her blouse and pulls out a silvery hand-held crucifix or rosary of some sort “Heaven watches over us and I set out in all that is good and right anyway.” “Hey, wait a minute… aren’t those runes on that little cross——” gasps Aztoro. “No matter how great the danger, salvation is sure to come soon no matter how small the chance it may grant.”

Holding out the rosary, Sarah calls out “Light of Jareth Carth the Stronghearted, grant me the power to fight evil. Holy Elegance Awaken!”

Bursting from the rosary comes ribbons of radiant red and gold light, setting Sarah’s body all aglow in bright white light. Her hair unravels until it’s like a large cape fluttering through a breeze.

The ribbons then calm her hair and made it as if invisible hands are grooming it for her, before five of the ribbons wraps around 2 locks of her long hair before resting before her shoulders and the last three ribbons making three ponytails trailing behind her head. The remaining ribbons wraps around her body and change form——

She is now clad in full-body armor of gleaming gold-like metal. This includes a great helm with avian wings on the sides and a sliding full-face visor with small cross on top, pronounced silvery knuckles on her gauntlets, 3-inch high heeled metal boots, angelic wing-like extensions on the shoulder guards, a brown leather belt with a shield-like buckle, and a rose red cape that’s being held by a golden cross brooch and fluttering in the wind.

She stands and calls out, “Elegant Paladin Sarah!”

During the young blonde-haired woman’s transformation, Aztoro saw that the giant spiders were vaporized like it was no trouble. Aztoro blinks in disbelief, “She really is Elegant Paladin Sarah all along!”

Boldly standing tall, the Elegant Paladin Sarah struck a pose and called out “Basked in holy light to protect the world, I am the Elegant Paladin Sarah! In the name of heaven, your judgment is nigh!”

Aztoro sweat-drops a bit, ‘Who does that blonde think she is? Supergirl or Sailor Moon?’ “Hey, Sarah! There’re still about a thousand of these damn 8-legged freaks left, so please help me continue with the squashing!”

“I know that already,” says Sarah, “but to be more precise; there are 981 left, with one of them being the strongest of them all.” “Huh?” blinks Aztoro confusedly. Sarah explains, “As a paladin, I have the ability to detect evil and how powerful it is.”

Hearing an inhuman screech, Sarah says “it knows I am here because of my Aura of Good.” Aztoro says, “I take it that it’s a demon.” “Yes,” nods Sarah.

More of the gigantic demon spider monsters crawled out from the darkness, Sarah proceeded with eye-catching moves that not only defeats the monsters with succession but also with ease.

Aztoro’s eyes caught sight of Sarah’s perfect dodges from certain attacks and body movements within milliseconds. He thinks to himself, “Whoever she is, she’s incredibly strong, fast, tough, cunning, and wise as she is charming. Everything about her is at the peak of human abilities.”

A few demon spiders jump at Sarah, but she gracefully dodges them all and they crash into old mirror-covered walls. Aztoro picks up a nearby 2-by-4 and decides to help out Sarah and proceeds into smashing the spiders, even though they look like they’re already dying before he could kill them.

Sarah sighs, “That was too easy.” “Then whatever’s next can’t be good,” gulps Aztoro.

A sudden yellow blur zooms around the room, knocking Aztoro and Sarah to the ground. It stops to reveal itself, a yellow spider with black lightning bolt marks on its back. It runs around like crazy again, knocking the two humans around again.

Aztoro thought as he is knocked down to the concrete floor, ‘Damn it! That spider monster is extremely fast! But we can’t tell where it’s going to strike next.’

Seeing broken shards of mirrors on the ground, Aztoro remembers his detachable laser rangefinder in his pocket, “I think I’ve got an idea to deal with the Spider-Man/Flash combo.” Pulling her visor up to face him, Sarah smiles, “Don’t tell me, you’ve got a laser rangefinder and you plan to help me to pick a perfect moment to strike.” “Yes,” nods a surprised Aztoro, “How’d you know?”

Sarah smiles brightly and says, “Fate will always be on your side, if you believe.”

“I DO BELIEVE!” screams Aztoro, pointing his device at the mirror shards on the ground and finally shooting a blue beam… it then reflects off the mirror shards, creating a blue field. The sonic arachnid passes through continuously but its shape is continuously seen.

Sarah slides her visor back down and says, “Rosary Inventory, Dragon Bow-Axe.” The shield-shaped buckle glows and she grabs onto it, it transforms into an ornate and strange axe with wing-shaped blades and a rosary-like symbol on both sides. It’s almost as if it both doubles a specialized crossbow, because of the dragon head-shaped barrel-like part on the head and the T-shaped pull handle on the end, and a holy weapon as well.

“Gospel Axe” calmly says Sarah, a brilliant golden-white aura manifests around her armored body before flowing into the blades of her axe weapon. Then she brings the blade down onto the spider, literally reducing it to vapor.

Aztoro’s mouth gaps in amazement, “This could be a little over the head for a whole S.W.A.T. team.”

More spiders start to come rushing toward the human and the possible superheroine’s location. As Aztoro attempts to resume fighting against the current threat, he states to Sarah “I can tell you’re a veteran when it comes to this sort of thing. But I think that this is what I should call a crisis situation.” “Duly noted verily” calmly responds Sarah, “However, I am more than able to undo the matter at hand.”

Aztoro looks at her in confusion, “Huh?”

Holding her Dragon Bow-Axe weapon like it’s a crossbow and pulling the handle; Sarah points it at the spiders and says, “Blessed Bullet.” BANG! BANG! BANG! Shooting from the barrel in the center of the weapon’s head are silvery bullets, they shred through the spider monsters in straight lines.

Aztoro can only stand in shock at the events taking place. He shakes his head and asks, “Did you design and build that weapon of yours by yourself?” Sarah nods, “And I wouldn’t mind if you’d like to examine and modify it, within reason and justice. Excuse me while I change.” Aztoro snaps, “WHY THAT OF ALL TIMES?”

Sarah says, “Rosary Armor Change.” Then the golden armor exploded into holy light again, which causes a lot of the spider monsters to vaporize, all right before revealing herself in a new outfit; she is now clad in silk-like material of red and blue with white trimming. The red tunic has a strong Asian influence (with a small white cross sewn on its bottom-left-front area) and blue pants. Full-length fingerless gloves of blue and white lace trimming at the top are on her arms and hands, covering them. Red shoes with white crosses in front are on her feet.

Aztoro stares and gapes at the sight, “Okay, you’ve had me confused.” Sarah says, “Those who are special but can sometimes think the wrong thing can prove that they are human too.” Aztoro blinks, ‘Words of wisdom must be a favorite of hers. But what magically changing her battle outfit going to improve her combat abilities?’

As more spiders come…

“Rosary Inventory, Blessed Dagger” says Sarah as she pulls out a silvery dagger from her belt buckle and makes her first weapon disappear again. She raises it high and calls out, “Meteoric Strike.” Sarah’s little dagger’s blade bursts into orange, red, and gold flames, and shining sparks trailing the weapons wake.

She strikes one spider, causing it to burn up instantaneously, and then after the first spider felt the first blow, the flames splash onto the other spider monsters.

“How many more left?” asks Aztoro. Sarah answers, “Just the strongest one. Right now, it is beyond your readiness. So please move.”

Seeing how more easily she’s handling the situation than he was earlier, Aztoro decides to comply.

The last spider monster crawls out from the darkness… it is a lot more enormous than all that came before it. The ultimate difference between this dark-pink and dark-violet one from the previous ones is that where the head should be is instead the entire torso like that of a humanoid woman. The monster’s chest is clad in silvery material similar to the spider silk Aztoro found, on her wrists are silvery spider-shaped bracelets, and her head is really pretty.

Aztoro blinks in shock, “That monster reminds me of a Jorogumo, spider woman of Japanese youkai.” Then he thinks to himself ‘If that creature were a real human woman in some special effects costume and not a monster, I would like to be the costume itself.’

The spider woman looks at Aztoro with anger, “So, you’re the one who freeing my captives and killed some of my children.” She leans closer to him, shoots webbing at him from under her wrists that then traps him against the wall, and says sensually, “I think I’ll have some fun with you to make some more and then eat you.” Aztoro gasps in horror; the queen of those spiders wants to mate with him and then save him for later!

Sarah’s voice calls out, “It’s rude to ignore your true enemy when the battle is in session, so here I come!”

Aztoro sees Sarah jump high and flipping forward and then land on the thorax of the Spider Queen, this catches the queen monster’s attention. The monster shoots darts from her fingernails at Sarah, who dodges them with ease.

Aztoro grunts out to Sarah, “Those nails must be poisonous.” Sarah says, “Even if they are, that’d be only half the worry. For the other half of the worry are the impact and puncture they can deliver.”

The Spider Queen shot strands of webbing at the Elegant Paladin, who dodges and cuts up the webbing with her Blessed Dagger.

Charging from the entrance, Corrine arrives with an entire S.W.A.T. team. She gasps, “So she’s here too!”

Aztoro rips himself free from the webbing that nearly kept him bound to the wall, he takes his gun and aims, “Here we go.” He pulls the trigger, firing the last bullet he has in his gun at the Spider Queen. Unfortunately, the arachnid demon deflects it with one her bracelets.

Although a whisper away from him, Aztoro hears Sarah saying, “Jareth Carth, please forgive me for this underhanded act.” The Elegant Paladin throws her dagger at the right shoulder of the Spider Queen’s humanoid torso in the back, and it hits its mark!

Sarah runs in front of the monster, with her right foot glowing as she stands before her calmly, “Force of Heaven, Holy Kick.” She then plants a mighty roundhouse kick onto the humanoid abdomen, which leaves a bright glowing cross that grows bigger and bigger until the monster itself is vaporized too.

Feeling the strands of webbing, Aztoro reacts in awe, “She defeated it with ease.” Corrine says, “I told you that you’ll blame yourself in the end.” Picking up her dagger, Sarah says “The rumors of discouragement when I’m around these foes are mostly in lack of a better word false. I must return to Lerah; she’s waiting for me.”

Aztoro looks upon her as she walks away toward the exit… where a white mare in gold-colored armor and a saddle stood waiting for her, Sarah climbs into her saddle and says to the crowd, “Jareth Carth strengthens our hearts so that we’ll become stronger. This world is made for all to live, to prosper, and to seek adventure so our world will be in balance. Balance between good and evil shall be restored by the rediscovery of love and justice!” then she rides off on Lerah.

Corrine says, “Personally we don’t bother in superhero business, only if it’s real.” Aztoro says, “Well, I’ve got my proof that she’s the real deal.”

On his way to his apartment that very evening… he meets up with Sarah again, this time as her civilian self.

Aztoro says, “You’re dynamite in everything I’ve witnessed about you.” Sarah waves her hands out of humility, “No, no! It’s just what I do for the good. You didn’t do a bad job yourself.” “Okay,” gulps Aztoro “now I think that’s sugarcoating it a bit too much.”

“Man, seeing a real life magical girl/super-heroine in this town and these monsters makes me believe my new landlord is definitely descent of human, troll, goblin, giant, and ogre,” sighs Aztoro thoughtfully. Sarah smiles, “I’ve seen him, he’s quite the fan.”

Aztoro could not believe it, he’s just become an acquaintance to a genuine magical girl-type superheroine. He knows that they should be able to talk some more some time later.

Aztoro asks her, “Can you think of any better time for the two of us to talk again?” Sarah thinks it over and later says with a bright smile, “I think some time in about a week.” Giving into her angelic smile, Aztoro laughs a bit before saying “Sounds good.”

As they parted ways, Aztoro asks “Wait! One more thing; what’s your personal goal?”

Sarah walks off and says, “I’m going to find the Queens of Heaven!” Aztoro gasps in shock, “The Queens of Heaven?”

‘How is it that Sarah knows about what he was attempting to research nearly three years ago?’ asks Aztoro inwardly.

To be continued…