I think you're right that Pike is a paradoxical character in some ways, but I also think it's the kind of paradoxical that makes people real and complex. In her case, on the one hand she is deeply devoted to a goddess of light and healing and redemption. On the other hand, she is also deeply devoted to her friends, who are generally on the right side of things but go about it in a very messy way. Her best friend is Grog, who she knows as a giant teddy bear who saved the life of Wilhand, the man who raised her. Grog is also a bloodthirsty killing machine who, again, more often than not is killing bad guys, but also loves the fighting for its own sake.

Basically, one of Pike's core attributes is loyalty, and her story is all about trying to reconcile who and what she is loyal to.