The Platinum Paladin #3

A Duel with Dual

Rated E10+ Ten and Up

Burke traces Dual’s qi to the middle of the South China Sea. She flies on her Eagle Wings into a titanic cloud of reflective mist. All around her sparkles a shifting picture of the sky, the sea, herself, all fragmented in the fog of mirrors. Finally, she emerges above an atoll about the size of Australia’s Dangar Island. In the center is a small, floating Taoist temple colored all black.

“One helluva secret hideout,” Burke says to herself. With a powerful flap of her wings, the Platinum Paladin blasts toward the temple at mach speed.

Burke lands on the front steps, and her wings dissipate into a million glittering particles. Without a second thought, the armored mercenary walks up to the front entrance guarded by twin statues of figures unfamiliar to her. The one on the left wears flowing robes and has a peaceful stance. The one on the right wears layered robes and has an aggressive stance. Both bear the same face. Above her is a sign written in gold, traditional Chinese lettering.

She enters the open air temple, immediately faced by an altar for one of the eight immortals of Taoism. The multi-platform altar is decorated with various golden regalia and more statues of unfamiliar figures. Kneeling in front of it is man clad in black, hooded robes and white, loose fitting pants. Paladin knows him to be Dual, the monk who communicated with her back in Washington.

He stands. Slowly, but with great power.

“Let’s get this over with, ying yang,” Burke barks, summoning her Spirit Blade.

“If you are going to call me names,” Dual says. “At least say the words correctly.”

The monk turns to show his black mask with eyes of glowing white.

“I want you to know this is nothin’ personal,” Burke says. “And I hope you’re wrong about your little conspiracy.”

“When you are defeated,” Dual responds. “I will show you myself.”

Platinum Paladin rushes in! She swipes low with her blade. Dual leaps and tucks forward, landing behind her. Burke spins back. Low swipe into high. Dual midair planks two feet off the ground to dodge both. He twists to face down. Lands in a pushup and rolls out. Burke roars as she rushes in for a combo. Blade swipes and elbows. Sweep kicks and roundhouses. Dual dodges each one with supernatural ease.

The paladin jumps up for a spinning kick. Dual dodges. It was a fake! Burke drops the kick and swings in with the Spirit Blade. Dual bocks it with his bare forearm!

Burke looks down in shock. The point where her sword is locked with his arm is glowing with white energy. She pushes off of him to reset the neutral. Dual changes stances.

“The demon I killed was almost made one of the highest ranking people in your country,” Dual says. “Are you really so apathetic as to not be bothered by such a thing?”

“You have no idea,” Burke utters. Another blitz! Dual dodges and blocks. The Platinum Paladin can feel that he hasn’t even broken a sweat let alone used a significant amount of his power. And she can’t use too much of her own if she plans on getting paid for taking him in alive. Although, she might be underestimating him. Plus he’s too fast for her Spirit Buster’s shock blast. Regardless, she can’t do anything without knowing what he’s capable of.

“So y’just gonna stay on the defensive, or are you gonna make this interesting?” Burke taunts.

“I’m sorry,” Dual says. “I know what you’re trying to do, but I have no reason to fight back.”

“Mind if I cut loose then?”

“By all means.”

Burke unleashes the full might of her paladin powers with a flash of light. The cross on her chest begins to shine. More pieces of armor materialize on her arms and legs. The Spirit Buster splits open and disassembles into a sphere of floating metal plates. The plates move to swirl around her Spirit Blade and attach themselves to it. The blade extends into a new, ultimate form: Spirit Buster Claymore!

The weapon electrifies, surging with light energy. Dual reaches out his hand. The light energy from Burke’s “X-Mode” transformation starts to funnel towards Dual. He’s absorbing the light energy.

“Oh no you don’t!” Platinum Paladin yells as she rockets forward. She swings wide with the Buster Claymore. Dual jumps into another flip to dodge it. Half of his robes have now turned white. The monk lands and strikes a new pose: knees bent, palms forward. Pinkies and ring fingers curled while his thumbs point in. Middle and pointer finger erect. He bends his elbows, moving one arm up and over his head pointing horizontally. The other he brings low in front of his stomach pointing the opposite direction. The light energy he absorbed splits and channels into his fists. His robes return to their normal color.

Dual dashes in. Burke angles her swing, starting low then swiping high. Dual dives into a spin, face skimming the blade as it passes just over him. He flips into a slide. Throws out a rising kick to Burke’s chin.

“Gyuh!” she coughs.

Dual pushes up off the ground with his remaining momentum to jump and kick off the paladin’s torso. While airborne, Dual flings the channelled energy at Burke like twin stars. They strike the Platinum Paladin with explosive force, and she goes flying into one of the pillars behind her. Her X-Mode wears off, and the Buster Claymore splits back into the normal blade and buster. Burke struggles to stay conscious.

Dual approaches her and kneels.

“Let me show you,” he says before putting his hand to her head.

Suddenly, she’s back at the House Chamber in D.C. The room is filled with representatives, and a man in an ashen suit has just been given the floor from the previous Speaker of the House. Burke moves closer. That’s no man. Two, smaller sets of eyes sit above and below his head. His pupils are slit and his tongue is split. His ears are pointed and multiple horns are sticking out of his forehead. A demon. Class IV by the looks of it. Though she’s never fought actual demons, she remembers enough from her studies at Charlemagne Castle.

Then, time slows to a crawl. A swirling, dark cloud appears over the chamber pulpit. A blinding flash goes off and Dual appears from within the cloud. He reaches out toward the demon, and strikes its head with his palm. Cracks of light crawl out from where Dual hit until its whole body is covered in a web of glowing fissures. The monk is pulled back into the dark cloud before it disappears. The demon falls to the ground. Burke returns to the present.

“I was almost too late this time,” Dual says. “With your abilities, we could track down every one of these demons and put a stop to whatever they’re planning.”

“You should’a just hired me,” she groans.

“The work I do does not pay well enough to afford you.”

“Well that’s your problem, yin yang.”

Burke fires a point blank shock blast from her Spirit Buster! Dual convulses for a few seconds before falling unconscious next to her.

“I don’t work for free,” Burke says, standing with a grunt. She looks down at the monk and lets out a big sigh. Then, she picks him up and flies out of the temple on her Eagle Wings.

#

Burke makes it to Manhattan at around 11:30 PM, landing atop the 86th floor observatory. She approaches the secret elevator still holding a knocked out Dual.

“Jetta Burke,” she says.

“Welcome, Platinum Paladin,” says the hidden panel.

The wall opens up and Burke steps into the elevator. Once she makes it to the ground floor, she crosses the lobby to the secret ION outpost entrance.

“Jetta Burke,” she sneers.

“Welcome, Platinum Paladin,” and the marble wall slides open to the elevator with the reflective walls.

Burke rolls her eyes and enters the second hidden elevator. As it descends at a snail’s pace, the armored mercenary looks at her reflection in the wall. Then, she looks at Dual. She thinks about the demon she saw in that vision. Back to her reflection.

The door slides open, and she enters the secret ION base. Seemingly, nothing’s changed since she left. ION agents are still walking around and typing on computers like worker bees. Maelstrom is still standing menacingly in front of the wall of monitors.

Burke tosses Dual onto the floor behind Maelstrom. He only slightly turns his obsidian spiked head, then returns to looking at the screens.

“The money’s already been wired to your account,” he says in his baritone voice. “Good work, Burke.”

“Yeah,” Paladin responds. “See ya.”

Burke turns to leave.

“One last thing,” Maelstrom starts. Burke stops. “I was able to smooth things over enough with the folks at Lockzone Station to where they agreed to call off the bounty on your head if you brought in Hellmonk. For free.”

“Ugh,” Platinum Paladin moans. “Fine. But on one condition.”

Maelstrom raises a crystalline brow.

“When this guy wakes up,” she says. “Listen to what he has to say. Somethin’ fishy’s happening behind the scenes in D.C.” Burke smirks. “I’m sure I’ll be back soon considering.”

After returning to the lobby, Platinum Paladin walks out onto 5th Avenue. With a prayer, she unleashes her Eagle Wings once again and soars up toward the top of the Empire State Building. She perches on the skyscraper’s spire and takes off her helmet.

As her scarlet hair blows in the wind, Burke’s face remains blank. Her eyelids fall slowly as she looks down at the city below. After a moment, she re-dons her platinum helm. Rises to stand, wings extended like a gargoyle come to life. Then, she leaps. Off the spire and into the sea of street lights. The paladin arcs upward into the night sky; the lost daughter of an old order.

THE END.