"E-excuse me?" Linnie said, awkwardly calling out to the congregation.
The room went silent, and they all turned their heads to the strange little boy who appeared from seemingly nowhere.
"Oh, what do we have here? What's going on, boy? How did you get in here?" the old abbot asked.
"Uh, that man outside? He's getting attacked! I ran in here to find help!"
"Attacked? So, they've already—no, thank you, child. Brothers, go! Defend our canon! DEATH TO THE INFIDELS!" he shouted. "You, stay here until it's safe."
"FOR SAINT ARIEKH!" they roared, charging. Linnie nodded, watching as the men flooded through the door and down the halls.
"I thought monks were supposed to be peaceful!? Though, I guess it isn't too surprising considering their canon," he thought.
Once it became quiet, he walked over to the altar. It was much taller than he was, so he looked around for something to climb on so he could reach the artifact at the top.
Linnie's eyes gleamed looking at the expensive artifact. It was a wearable ram's skull made of solid gold. It was far too big for Linnie's head, and far too heavy, too.
"I could grow into it..."
"What are you doing?"
"Uh-oh!" he yelped, losing his balance and knocking the altar over. He fell to the ground, and the artifact clattered across the floor. Rubbing his head, he looked back at the door. Standing there was the abbot.
"I forgot my... caestus... ha. I'm a fool, aren't I?" the abbot laughed sadly. "So, my men are running through those poorly designed halls for nothing, then?"
"Uh, well—no! I'm not—"
"Cease your lying, child. I don't want to have to cut the tongue from your mouth."
Linnie gulped, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead. "Where the hell is Aliza!?"
"I'm sorry, please spare me! I was only trying to get a closer look at it; I wasn't trying to steal it or anything!"
"Yes, yes. Don't worry, Saint Ariekh wouldn't want me to harm a child. We are protectors of the weak, so, boy, tell me, who sent you here?"
"No one! I swear, I'm all alone! I—"
"Damn it, why am I groveling? When'd I become such a wussy!?"
"...I'm with them." Linnie put on a smug grin as he stood up from the floor. "I find it kind of annoying that you called us... what was it? 'Infidels'?"
"You... how could a kid your age be one of them...? I'm sorry for how they tainted your mind, boy. Hopefully it's not too late for your salvation."
The abbot grabbed the caestus off the hook on the wall. He strapped them onto his hands and cracked his fingers.
"Come at me, old bastard!" Linnie shouted, laughing like a maniac.
"Ah, maybe I should've groveled. It's too late now, though!"
He leapt for the golden artifact as the abbot charged. He grabbed ahold of the skull and turned to face the man.
"Oh no."
The abbot's fist tensed, firing through the air and towards Linnie's gut. In the last second, Linnie raised the ram's skull to block the strike.
He was sent flying through the air and crashed into the wall, leaving an impact crater in the hard stone bricks. Linnie coughed up blood, and saw double abbots walking towards him.
"That's gonna leave a mark. A really big mark."
"Oho, still standing? With what, I wonder, do they subject you so a child such as yourself could withstand a blow like mine? Poor boy... I will free you from this world's evils."
"I haven't withstanded shit! I can barely move!"
In a last-ditch effort, Linnie threw the artifact with all his strength right at the abbot's head. Unfortunately, the solid gold was far too heavy, and the throw fell short.
Linnie watched with a frown as the fist shot towards his face. Abruptly, it stopped, severed by a flying battleaxe. The abbot turned to where it came from, and was promptly met with a flying kick to the face.
Aliza performed a dismount from his face, sending him stumbling backwards and tripping over the toppled altar.
"Aliza! What took you so long!?"
"Sorry about that! I was looking for the armory," she said, pointing to the pile of weapons lying on the floor.
"How'd she even carry all those here...?"
"Let's get outta here," Linnie said, grabbing the artifact off the floor.
"Not so fast. So, you're with them, too? Filthy succubus, corrupting the youth. I can't let this go unchecked! That is the way of Ariekh!"
The abbot stood up, grasping his stump that once had a hand at the end. He strangely grew, his muscles growing and inflating. His step forwards shook the entire room.
His next one cracked and crunched into the stone floor. He grabbed his habit and tore it off his body, revealing a sprawling tattoo of a ram's helm wreathed in flame on his chest.
"Linnie, duck!"
Hearing Aliza's words, he crouched. It was futile, though, since the abbot sent an uppercut into his chest. Luckily, the artifact once again prevented his complete atomization, but it didn't save him from getting thrown into the air.
"Sorry!" Aliza mouthed, wincing.
She dove and caught him while simultaneously throwing him away from the abbot's attack. She blocked his punch with a metal buckler, which dented inwards after one punch. She screamed in pain as the abbot struck her, and Linnie dashed for the pile of weapons.
He grabbed the first thing he could reach, a dagger, and threw it. Somehow, the blade actually sank into the man's back. Only skin deep, though... and the abbot didn't seem to even realize he'd been stabbed.
Linnie grabbed a dozen more and ran at the abbot, who was still beating Aliza. He jumped onto the man's back and stabbed with each dagger, one after another, making sure they sank deep.
The abbot roared in pain, reaching onto his back, grabbing Linnie by the poncho, and slamming him into the ground. The rest of the daggers flew from his hands and slid across the floor.
Aliza grabbed one in each hand and slipped beneath the man's legs, slicing through his achilles and sticking him all around. She ran to the pile of weapons and grabbed a crossbow, already loaded. She aimed at his face and gripped the trigger.
"Die, you old, musty bastard!" she grinned, blood running from her nose.
The abbot clenched his jaw, causing an audible crunch. He spit out his tooth at an arrow's speed, knocking the crossbow out of her hand.
He jumped forwards, raising his hand to strike her.
"She's gonna die... no! I won't let it happen, damn it!" Linnie thought at lightning speed, clenching his eyes shut. "Remember... remember!"