Chapter 590: Empire's Invasion [8]

'The stench of blood and murder. He means business.'

"Please let me go," whispered muffled cries.

"Shut yer mouth," showing his bareback, a stomp recoiled with cracks and a guttural screech, "-elder, meet me at the guild house, we need to talk."

"What was that about?" asked Igna.

"No idea," replied Julius. The elder changed course and made for the edge. The celebrations didn't bode well with what was normal. Young Annie moved about at a snail's pace; eyes fixated on a starry night. Ota remained by her mother's side; the latter grew to be sterner than ever before. 

Tik-tok with the clock, a turn later came malignant energy oozing off the building. Thrust against the once golden wheat fields came the inky black outlines of constructions and trees up ahead. Random flashes of light would dart about countless meters away. Redden hue of merciless will to kill and pillage. "-goblins," commented Igna.

"Around these parts?"

"Yes, they're more active at night. Damned little pests. I do hope the village has a warding spell, else, if a tribe attacks, they might not live to see another day."

Mid-way across, "-Igna," halted Julius, "-we forgot to release the priestess." 

"We should stay away," said he, "-the night means her curse is live and well. Is the wrath of demons that pleasant a thought?"

"Cousin," firm and logical, "-I'm going back. She might need help."

"Soft-hearted prince," grinned he, "-go on then. I'll return after the celebrations are over and done with, we're spending the night at the inn, understood?"

'Now then,' the footsteps echoed away, '-the guild house. The smell is awful,' at the doorway, '-guess we'll see what they have in store.' The ajar door split into two men stripped naked and a smaller one being lashed. Few adventurers, Olaf included, stood in utmost silence. Rody's onslaught intensified, lashes drew blood. A makeshift gag prevented damning sounds from escape.

"Enough," said the elder, "-Rody, why are you drenched in blood?" 

"I paid a little visit to their mansion," he growled, "-didn't the master, but I found guards wearing the same attire. Those who dared pain the village much die, and die they did," the hand-turned paw rose, blood-soaked the hairs into plumps. 

"I see," exhaled Elm. "-Everyone, please meet Igna Haggard."

"An outsider?" fired Rody.

"Calm thy tongue," refuted Elm, "-he's a good man of strength and intellect. An adventurer currently on a quest to find those responsible for such horrors. I've personally acknowledged and vouched for his power in battle."

"Good evening everyone," said he calmly, "-Guild Leader Rody," a single glance told a multiple of things, "-is it possible if I take a look at these rough-looking men?"

"S-sure," the behemoth of a beastman slowly backed away to rinse off the stench. 

"You're the one who helped out earlier," commented Olaf, "-thanks for taking care of the kids, they're quite a handful, especially Ota."

"After witnessing such a sight," referenced to the murder, "-they were pretty much nonexistent."

"So, Igna," said Rody wiping off the water, "-where are you from, and what's the deal in coming to our village?"

"For work, obviously," said he, "-or I would say so. My intentions aren't so clear, I doubt anyone here could understand. Elder, might I?"

"You may."

"Grand," knuckles cracked, "-hello," the gag untied, "-are you the supposed envoy?"

"Go to hell."

"Oh," smiled he, "-we have a fighter here, don't we," down on to a squat, "-Hey there, little man, things won't go great if you die, will it now?" Mana Control: Healing Element Variant: Full body Restoration.* An angelic light dowsed the room in green, the onlookers stood in awe, it even caught the eye of those celebrating. "A fresh start for me," he smirked, *Souls of the dead, thee who've sworn to serve me in life and death, come to my side. Blood-Arts: Ghouls Requiem.* The fabric of what was real split, a vortex summoned in the middle of the room; the size and presence had many bolted to the floor. Stunned speechless, a scrawny tall figure clambered out, the vortex vanished, he waited with an emptied gaze. 

"Man previously known as Agnet," ordered Igna, "-heed my words and do thy duty. Torture this man till he loses the will to resist. Beware, his death means yours as well, the soul of the unrested."

"Yes, master." 

"We wait and watch," said Igna, "-let's have a seat and allow a master go to work," they moved behind the reception desk, leaving the guests in the care of a very hospitable man. 'Good thing Adete told me about the various people we captured. This one's a military officer working as a torturer against war prisoners. Asking my companions to do such evil acts doesn't seem great now, it's a waste of their time and mine.'

Out on the banks of a stream where the jeep rested, grunts and whimpers echoed against the flowing water. 'The chain's broken,' thought Julius, foot tracks led to the water. '-There she is,' he walked onto an army of shadowy figures. Her head and body were forced on all fours, ghouls lingered about, she cried and begged to no avail, the suffering grew into gasps of plea. 'Cruel,' thought he, '-why did she even escape to the stream?' *Crunch, crunch,* twigs and leaves cracked, "-priestess, are you ok?" the innate light bestowed upon to superior-beings made short work of the mists. The cursed crest's molten hue cooled to black.

"Who a-are you?" 

"Julius," returned he, "-I thought I'd come to check up on you. The curse is quite potent," said he kneeling to her side, "-I dare not say I understand the pain."

"No," she rolled over, "-I'm starting to get used to it. After the first assault, the pain fades into a living nightmare. I see my life flash before my eyes every single time it happens. Then, the next thing I know, I'm healed and given food. I don't know anything about the outside world. My life's been spent inside the church, [span]du matin au soir[/span], the teaching of our great god was what kept me alive. Other beliefs are heretics, anyone and anything not known to us is dangerous.  We must obey the law passed on from our ancestors. It took me a while to realize it, the world is full of unimaginable things, moments that defy the reality I know and have learned to accept." 

"Here," he wrapped a coat around her back, "-tell me more, I'm here to listen."

Tears rolled, her cheeks flushed, "-I never knew my parents. I was an orphan left in the care of the church. As a girl, the priests were never interested in teaching the true way of god. We were used as cleaning machines and an easy way to do chores and cook. For the most part, life was normal. Then, one day, a younger boy from our dormitory returned with burns and bruises, he was sent a few weeks ago to a nobleman's house. Instead of a warm welcome, the priests beat him even more until he died. The next thing we knew, another boy was picked and sent off. The horrors continued. My friends and I were pretty lucky, the head-priestess in charge of our dormitory was quite the sadist. She enjoyed tormenting the injured. If we wanted favors, her only request was to spend the night at her side. We did so, gave ourselves willingly to her. What waited behind her door chambers was a room filled with torture devices. Her most favorite prey were young priests sent to learn the ways of our god. In a few scriptures, reference is made to our god being the projection of charm and affection. Love comes in many shapes and sizes, and hers was more on the physical side. Maiden are virtuous and chaste; her teaching was in how to make men answer her demands. Dogs to their master. We'd often had to take part and whip the priests. A girl two years older than me was soon assaulted by a novice who didn't know the ways of the head-priestess. The humiliation he endured in coming here was enough to break the cycle of 'love'. The next thing I knew, I was ordered to torture the man until death. They watched and cheered, I made him cry and scream mindlessly until my sanity snapped, I found pleasure in beating others. To forcefully shove our morals down the throat of the uneducated. Years went by, I received a letter to join the holy army as an inquisitor. One thing led to the other, my beliefs were further validated by the conquest of villages up north of the main continent. Those nonbelievers were killed and subjected to unspeakable things on my order. We prayed in the day and slaughtered in the night, the culling of the profane. The concept of good and evil eluded me until we arrived here, in Hidros. My orders were to capture and enslave the demi-humans. My only wish was to kill them, nothing more, nothing less. However, things didn't go according to plan, a certain man jumped in to

"You take pleasure in abuse?" 

"No, no," her head shook, "-I never said that. The punishment is like repenting for the suffering I caused. What about you, the energy is different from the man you call cousin."

"Nothing much to say really. I'm but an adventurer traveling in the company of my cousin," he smiled.

"I see," she exhaled, "-I suppose opening up to a stranger isn't the wisest thing to do. No matter, I have but one regret. I was never able to experience true love. A life of constant withdrawal from my womanly side."

"Love isn't a word to easily throw around," he stood, "-come on, his calling, we ought to head inside."

"Are you sure?" she clambered to her knees; "-won't I cause more trouble for the villagers?" 

"No, I'm sure it's fine," said he, "-come on, let's go." 

An hour passed; the questioning session proved helpful thirty minutes in. The adventurers, Olaf in particular, left the room feeling nauseated. 'How can someone so easily dish out pain, I never expected a human body to bend and suffer so much.' Bonfire lit, chanting, and dancing drew their attention. Drink away the events. 

"Igna, you're a devil, I swear," commented Elm.

"Perhaps yes or no, the question remains to be answered. Am I good or bad, at the end of the day, I have information and you have closure? Now, if you'd excuse me," he headed on towards the fire.

"Elder, is this wise, to trust that boy so," wondered Rody suspiciously, "-he so casually ordered the men to be slaughtered after they begged for mercy."

"Weren't you going to do the same?" refuted Elm, "-one mustn't be so quick to judge."

"As you say, elder, as you say…"

The eastern side of the village gave onto the muddied stream of before. Footsteps climbed up the gentle hill, "-hello cousin," waved Julius. Lights from the lantern reflected off their faces.

"Hello," he glanced towards the timid priestess, "-I see you've gotten close to her." 

"Not really," returned he, "-she broke her cuffs and tried to get some water."

"Let me guess, she spoke about a tragic backstory," he mounted a menacing wall, "-she spoke the truth, I know she did." 

"Why then?" pleaded Julius, "-if she's saying the truth, why not accept her?"

"Cousin," he breathed an exasperated sigh, "-it'll only hurt more when she eventually dies. The curse of the Whore princess is to have the host bear a direct descendant to the ancient demon's lineage. Affection will only be a hindrance," the hands motioned into a facepalm. '-a resolved expression; the mind's made up. You're a fool, cousin, a loveable fool.'