Osric launched two enormous fireballs from his ring and index fingers, the concussive force of their discharge and subsequent impact toppled several nuns and soldiers unprepared, robes, hair, and debris whipped about as if in a hurricane. The ensuing explosion deafened all and shook the temple to its foundations. The backlash of dust, smoke and tepid air was like an erupting volcano, and continued to billow past for several moments following the blast. The only sound—after hearing returned—was Osric’s hysterical laughter and the shifting debris.

When the dust finally cleared, the mural was gone; in its place was a pile of rubble and several collapsed columns nearby. At first, Renata did not want to believe what she saw beyond the rubble, but, as her vision adjusted back to the gloom of the temple, she had no option but to come to grips with the sight of a heavy, black wrought iron and stone gate before her.

Osric smirked as an icy aura fell upon them. “If you held any hope, now would be the time to abandon such fallacies.”

Osric took a case handed to him by one of the soldiers. He opened it and assembled a flute contained within it. Wordlessly, he placed it to his mouth and played a lilting tune full of haunting melodies several bars long; Renata was amazed that such a fiend of a man could play such lovely music. Maleah screamed behind her, Renata spun around in time to see the corpses of several dead monks and nuns rise, red symbols glowing on their faces. A cold, clammy hand grabbed her by the arm and another grabbed her other arm as she tried to fight off the first. Behind her, Maleah tried vainly to calm her very agitated horse.

“Shut that animal up or get rid of it, Maleah!” Osric snapped.

“Her name is Cookie, and forgive her if she is still under the impressions that the dead were to that way remain!” Maleah’s eyes were wide with terror she both tried to calm her mount and take refuge behind it. “By the Light, Osric!”

“What an absurd name,” Osric sneered.

“You’re absurd,” Maleah muttered as she reluctantly allowed Cookie to be led away by one of the soldiers.

Osric reached his hand into the basin of holy water, and pulled the small stopper with his thumb and forefinger nails. The water drained into the grooves and under the gate before vanishing behind it. The corpses held Renata by her arms in spite of her struggles, while a third crawled over and held her by her ankles. He drew an ornate ceremonial dagger from the scabbard in his sash as another corpse forcibly stripped her of her gown and undergarments. As Osric leaned over, he delicately unclipped her necklaces; she could not help but notice that even his breath was fragrant. He took the jewelry and tossed it into the pile of her clothing, the first signs of humanity and empathy crossed his face.

Osric paused uncomfortably; and listened to Renata’s terrified breaths. “This next part may be unpleasant.”

Without further warning, he thrust two fingers between her legs. She had no time to react, still shocked by her nudity. Outraged by his sudden intrusion, she head-butted him and he withdrew.

“I suppose that was warranted.” He peered at his fingers, puzzled and annoyed. “Why aren’t you menstruating?”

Her face flushed crimson as she tried to close her legs. “That is none of your concern!”

Was that the reason for the wait? How the hell could this man have come by this information? Renata wondered, terrified of what he may do next. She knew of the eccentricities of the black mages, but this was absurd!

“No matter.”

Osric took his dagger and slashed her wrists. He then withdrew a phial of blood-red liquid and proceeded to write several runes on her face, between her breasts and down to her hips with the foul-smelling liquid. As he stepped back, the corpses held her bleeding wrists over a basin. She watched as her blood trickled down the drain and filled the grooves as Osric placed a stone tablet into a recess on the seam of the gate. She recognized it as something once stored at the Catharone temple in Alighieri, though why he had it or placed it where he did was anyone’s guess. It took awhile for the blood to fill the grooves, and she was so weak and faint that the corpses had to hold her up. She was too sick and week to be repulsed by the unholy creatures he had made, her head lolled about as she slipped in and out of consciousness. The blood flowed up the gate and pooled around the tablet.

One of the corpses poured something down her throat as they wrapped her wounds and staunch the bleeding with rags. After several moments, Osric cursed and blew a shrill note with his flute, the corpses spasmed violently and collapsed taking her down with them, dead once again. He stormed over to her and grabbed her chin roughly, digging his nails in as far as he could.

“Is there something you aren’t telling me, Lady Priestess?” The last words were spat like hot acid.

She shook her head weakly, not knowing what he wanted.

“Blood from the maiden of Dawn should open this gate, yet it has not opened!”

She instantly understood what the problem was at the word “maiden” apparently, as did Osric.

“Tell me, priestess,” he snarled, “Are you a virgin?”

She smiled a bloody grin and shook her head. Rage filled Osric’s eyes. She felt a chuckle rise in her throat, but was unable to tell if it made a sound over Osric’s screams.

“You gilded whore! You’ve ruined everything!”

He viciously struck her in the lower abdomen, lifted her up and struck her again. She doubled over and vomited. He picked her up as she choked and gasped, striking her again in the face with the back of his hand. Soon, she even blocked the pain out as she fell yet again. Osric grabbed her throat and kneed her in the stomach, knocking the wind from her before she collapsed into the fetal position. He began to kick her in her naked stomach repeatedly as she lay on the ground, and feebly attempted to block. His expression had changed yet again; he truly did have the look of a rabid wolf or a lunatic.

She tried to think of Aichlan, and their night of passion in the villa, but with each strike “Why aren’t you menstruating!” thundered into her conscious. As darkness swept over, she remembered that she had not menstruated in nearly three months, the same time Aichlan left for Arlien…

* * *

Maleah flinched with each kick Osric dealt Renata’s womb. She was not uncomfortable with harsh methods, having tortured several prisoners herself, but there were always limits. Savagely kicking an unarmed, naked holy figure in the stomach was one such limit. The look of sheer enjoyment on his face was what really horrified her. Blood and fluid poured from between Renata’s legs and pooled around her. Her screams were animalistic, full of abject horror, and suffering. Maleah turned away in disgust as her brother continued his vicious assault.

“Osric! That’s enough!” Maleah finally cried out, tears spilled from her eyes, streaking her mascara.

Her brother ceased his senseless assault and looked down in contempt at his handiwork, a brief flicker of confusion passed over him. He looked up at Maleah somewhat perplexed then back down to Renata. He stumbled back and took a breath as he tried to get a bearing on his surroundings.

“By the Dawn, Osric! If you’re going to kill her, then do so! But this—” She gestured pleadingly to the crumpled up holy figure at his feet— “this is too much!”

“…Humph. Never figured you for the squeamish type, dear sister.” Osric took a rag from a soldier and wiped the blood from his hands and boots, any confliction he previously showed was gone. “But I will relent, if that is what you so desire.”

Maleah looked down at the Priestess as she twitched and sobbed. Her body was suddenly wracked with a wave of convulsions and she screamed in newfound torment. The woman had been pregnant, her brother had caused The Priestess of The Order to miscarry. Osric continued to back away, his mouth covered by the rag as he futilely gestured for someone to attend to her. Maleah hurried behind a pillar and vomited, looking up in time to see the blood in the grooves begin to glow as the tablet burst into flames and disappeared.

Maleah spat the remnants of sick and wiped her mouth, snatching a canteen from a soldier who came to check up on her. All was silent, broken only by her emphatic gargling and spitting of water. A low rumble abruptly filled the temple followed by the sound of stone grating against stone and the creak of rusted iron hinges as the gate slowly swung inward.

When the rumbling finally ceased, a cold wind blew from a pitch-black corridor. The depth of the corridor was an impossibility given that the temple sat upon a hill surrounded by orchards and growing fields. Behind that door should have been a wall or blue skies and the horizon. Osric seemed oddly unfazed by the conundrum, and ordered four men with torches into the tunnel. The men exchanged frightened looks as they debated which the greater cause for concern was: Osric’s wrath or the ominous corridor. He made his way towards the men menacingly, cursing in Xanavien.

Maleah approached a group of temple clergy under guard and ordered two horrified nuns to attend to their Priestess. The clergy kissed her hands tearfully and gratefully obliged. The guards made no moves to stop her or protest, and even helped the clergy by gathering up scraps of cloth to cover the Priestess with. Fortunately, her brother was too preoccupied to notice as the women glowed with pale white light and embraced the Dawn to perform a healing.

Maleah knew nothing of magic, but knew that there were fundamental differences between The Order of the Dawn’s magic and the so-called “Asketillian” magic, the most obvious being the Order of Dawns lack of incantations and symbols. If she were not so disgusted and afraid of her brother at the moment, she would have asked him about it. While her brother had never been gentle, he never had an interest in combat or violence, claiming knowledge and a superior intellect were the ultimate weapons.

It had come as such a shock when he followed his siblings into the military as an advisor on military tactics, after his expulsion from Asketill. They did not talk about why he was expelled; it was far too traumatic so Maleah simply pretended it never happened. She had always expected him to run off to Agradya to dig in the dirt with the rest of them, and had always hoped he would take her with him. As the years passed and war became inevitable, she was forced to finally concede that he was not gathering funds for an expedition. His new position in the military had kept him away from his brother and sister, even Séverin had no idea what he really did, and it was an even greater surprise when the crown named him commanding general of this absurd campaign.

The screams of the soldiers abruptly filled the temple, and then suddenly died away. Osric motioned for several more soldiers to investigate. The soldiers looked to their commanding officers for some sort of support, but received none. They argued amongst themselves to see who went in first as they made their way slowly to the gate. The soldiers suddenly stopped in their tracks. Osric shouted for them to continue, only for their heads to roll off their bodies as they fell, violently spouting blood.

Several men gasped and others made the sign of The Dawn. A stunned silence fell across the room as everyone struggled to comprehend what they just witnessed. A soldier next to her swung his sword reflexively, striking his commander across the throat before his own arm fell off. Maleah leapt back with a start and readied her lance. Panic ensued as more severed limbs and heads flew across the room. Soldiers swung wildly, more often striking each other than their unseen foe, while others simply dropped their weapons and turned to flee. A few temple clergy took advantage of the bedlam and tried to escape with their Priestess, only for an invisible foe to cut them down in the same manner.

Maleah backed into a column and paused to catch her breath. She caught sight of a shadow as it danced past, taking with it one of her soldier’s arms. She took several deep breaths and psyched herself up with several words of encouragement, when sufficiently steeled for what was to come, she stepped forward and stood perfectly still, surveying the chaos in search of its source.

A black figure the size of a child dashed across the hall, briefly visible in the dying rays of the sun before it disappeared into shadow again. She could not be certain, but could swear it was literally grinning ear to ear. Maleah followed the carnage more clerics were slain, carefully watching for the figure.

Maleah slowly went through several drills with her lance. The bone necklace rattled ominously as she gradually increased the speed. Silently, she stalked her prey, oblivious to the screams and carnage going on around her. Her eyes darted rapidly as she tracked the shadow, though her course remained a meandering line across the temple nave.

A wide shaft of sunlight shined in from the broken door. She came to a stop in the middle of the shaft and remained, rapidly twirling her lance over and around her body.

The sun cast a long shadow directly in front of her, and she stood with her gaze fixed on the point where it ended. She stood in place for several tense moments spinning her lance, and hoped her estimates and timing were correct. Her shadow slowly began to extend, almost imperceptible to one not looking for such changes. Without missing a beat, she spun her weapon as she raised it overhead. She counted to two and thrust the weapon into her shadow.

Her shadow screeched in pain and began to thrash violently before receding to a length appropriate for the time of day. She had managed to pin the creature by the throat. It was the size of a young child, its fingers like daggers and it’s too wide mouth filled with rows of razor sharp teeth. Its eyes were like oranges with little black pupils that darted wildly as it struggled to break free.

She looked down at the creature she had snared. “What are you?”

It answered her question with a stream of childlike babbling and gibberish.

“It’s kinda cute, don’t ya think?”

Osric sneered as he approached and looked down at the creature in disgust. “You are going to name it as well?”

Maleah prodded the creature with her boot. It squirmed and hissed as it lashed out and violently clawed at the lance. She smiled and regarded the murderous demon as one would a kitten. It writhed its lithe little arms as a dying cockroach, blood and foam poured from its mouth as it continued to babble. She had never encountered nor heard of such a creature and, from his expression, neither had Osric.

“Already did.” She said and made faces at the squirming demon. “His name is Buggles, on account of his buggy eyes.”

Osric smirked and shot lightning from his fingertips until the creature’s eyes exploded and the flesh began to cook.

“Good work, Maleah.” he sneered as he patted her on the shoulder. “I might actually keep you around,”

“You’re an ass, Osric,” she shouted as her brother walked back to the gate, laughing all the while.

She looked down at the charred remains, her lip quivered and her eyes stung. The corpse of the creature kicked out spasmodically before going completely limp. Her brother always had a dickish streak, she recalled him doing something similar to one of her dolls after a stray dog she took in shit on one of his textbooks back when he was still a student. She was more ashamed at herself for being upset. Though Buggles was cute, he was also a vicious killer.

She scanned the bloody hall; somehow Renata lay undisturbed, unconscious and wrapped in a bishop’s robes. Buggles had killed quite a few men; of the one hundred and twenty brought into the temple, only about fifteen remained. There was a good possibility some managed to escape, but still, Buggles had significantly cut their fighting strength.

“What the hell is that anyway?” she demanded, aiming her lance at the gate.

“Don’t be thick, sister, you know full well what it is.”

She growled and stormed after Osric. “Alright, well then what the fuck is in there? We’ve nearly lost all of our men!”

Osric paused and turned to face her. She stopped short, fearing he might strike her.

“Maleah, you needn’t follow.”

“What?” she asked, confused by his constantly changing moods.

“I do not know what we will encounter—” deep bellows from the corridor interrupted him.

“Osric—?”

He held up his hand to silence her. “Be still.”

She took a step back as the remaining soldiers huddled together, equally afraid and confused. “What was that?”

“No one move!” Osric hissed, listening hard.

The bellow of an enraged bull rang out again, closer this time. The remaining men turned and fled, despite Osric’s threats. He cursed and cast three glowing orbs: one above his head and two at his feet. He rapidly layered glowing symbols inside of the triangle of orbs as he recited incantations. Three beams of blue light connected them as he placed his palm over the last symbol. The beams of light converged into a swirling black hole over his palm, and belched forth a flurry of glowing black needles that impaled the fleeing soldiers. When the barrage subsided, all that remained were piles of flesh and armor unrecognizable as the human form they once held.

Maleah slowly backed away from her brother. “Fuck me…”

The beast bellowed again and charged towards them from the darkness of the corridor. Osric discarded his cloak and cracked his knuckles. She groaned and jogged over to stand at his side. He gave her a sidelong glance before fixing his gaze back onto the corridor. Whatever approached was likely going to be a headache to dispatch of and she already felt drained from the day’s events. She required time to mourn the death of Buggles.

Maleah tightened her grip on her lance as a Minotaur stomped out of the corridor, rearing its horned head in a roar. It had the lower limbs of a massive steer, the torso of a muscular man and the head of a raging bull. It stood nearly as tall as the gate itself, and gripped a cat o’ nine tails and spiked club in its muscular hands. The beast roared again and snorted smoke from its nostrils. Its black eyes held red pupils filled with fury that darted across the room in search of an outlet. It cracked its whip; sharp bones, rusty nails, and whale hooks were embedded in the braids of leather. Maleah let out a steady chant of “fuck” as her brother muttered for her to be quiet. She wished to turn and flee, but found her legs unresponsive.

the creature scanned the room and turned its sights on Osric. It pawed the tile floor with its hoofed foot and snorted a challenge. Maleah squeaked and managed to stumble back a step, relieved to see her brother do the same. She tugged at his sleeve as she edged away from the beast, furiously debating with herself whether she should run now or later.

Osric suddenly shook free of her grasp and stood his ground. “You! Prisoner of the void!”

“What the shit Osric! Don’t talk to it!” Maleah hissed in mortified whispers as she slapped her brother on the back. “Do you see how big that bastard is? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” He whispered meekly.

“Like Dusk you do!” she said through clenched teeth as she hammered at his shoulder with her hand. “Use your magic and get us the hell out of here!”

“I have freed you from your eternal torment.” Osric shouted to the beast, stepping forward and ignoring her protests. “Therefore, I am your master now! Kneel before me and show your allegiance!”

Maleah vehemently shook her head as she clutched her weapon to her chest. “That’s not going to—”

Before she could even finish her thought, the Minotaur, foaming at the mouth, bellowed once more and charged Osric.

Osric’s arms and face dropped in unison. “Ahh, derr’mo....”

Osric dove out of the way and levitated a chunk of downed column before him as the beast lashed out. He used the column to block as he pelted the beast with the macically hurled stones several times before the demon destroyed his impromptue sheild with its club. Osric dashed from the cover of a pillar, and summoned several orbs of black light that orbited him as he darted across the hall. Purpousfully he led the creature away from Maleah, as she remained rooted in the middle of the floor. With a grand wave of his arms before him, the orbs dispersed and encircled the Minotaur. His encantation only half complete, Osric only just managed to dive out of the way from another club strike at the last second. The impact of the club on the tile jarred her back to her senses and she scrambled to take cover behind a column.

Osric clapped his hands together as he landed with a thud and the orbs bombarded the beast, exploding in brilliant flashes of deep violet flame. He followed his assault by wildly slashing at the air with glowing fingers, sending blades of wind into the beast’s hide. The Minotaur advanced into the barrage of razor wind using its crossed arms to shield its face. Osric repeated the single word incantation of the spell, breathlessy swiping at the air as he intensified his assault. Unfazed, the monster raised its club and brought it down upon Osric.

Osric raised his hands over his head and spat out another spell. He spread his arms, drawing an arc overhead, as the club was brought down upon him. The impact shattered the tiles at his feet and shook the temple, bringing masonry crashing down from above. When the dust cleared, Osric stood between two cleanly cut halves of the club. He panted, and angrily wiped the hair from his face. Without time to even draw a full breath, he drew a glyph with each hand, gasped out the incantation, and launched a screen of smoke and flames. Osric fled the screen of smoke to take cover in an alcove beside the undisturbed statue of a saint. He doubled over, gasping for air, a wary ey watching thestill billowing smoke. The creature roared and stubled through the smokescreen, its eyes roving the ruined temple for its prey.

“You will serve me!” Osric screamed as he levitated a broken half of the club behind him and hurled it into the Minotaur’s face.

The Minotaur discarded its broken weapon as it stumbled backwards. It lashed out with its whip, ripping up tile and spraying debris across the nave. Osric charged the beast head on, slashing at the air before he slid between its legs and massive hooves, barely escaping a slap from the gnarly whip. Osric grabbed the demon by the tail, and held on with all his might as the outraged animal thrashed and snorted, trying to dislodge its unwanted passenger. Maleah slowly maneuvered herself closer, wishing to help her brother, but not knowing how or whether or not such an action would be futile.

Maleah spotted a bundle of javelins next to a dismembered soldier, and thinking quickly, she somer-saulted over, picked up a javelin and launched it at the beast. She quickly grabbed another and blindly lobed it in the creature’s general direction. She continued her assault as her brother climbed up the creatures sweat-slick torso, clawing his way up the beasts’ shaggy mane. With four javelins jutting from its body, the beast dropped to all fours and shook violently, nearly dislodging him. Maleah frantically searched for more javelins as her brother reached the beast’s head. The Minotaur roared in fury and frustration as it lowered its horns and pawed the ground, settlingto settle for the easier target of Maleah.

“So, if you’re going to do something—” Maleah backpedaled in terror as Osric planted his palm on the beast’s head.

A glowing snowflake formed around his hand with runes at each of the six points. The air began to crystallize around his pale blue palm.

Maleah turned and ran flat out in the opposite direction. “—now would be ideal!”

The Minotaur roared and charged at her.

Maleah turned and ran as the lumbering beast closed in on her. She dug deep and discarded her lance as she made a break for the door. Behind her, Osric recited the incantation. She glanced over her shoulder and began to sob as the creature gained on her, with the doorway seeming not to grow any closer. Maleah turned her panicked gaze over her shoulder again just as an icicle shot from Osric’s palm. It shot through the Minotaur’s skull and exited the bottom of its jaw at a sharp, bloody point. The beast staggered for several steps before it collapsed in a dead heap. Maleah, slowed to a jog and began sobbing from the terror and laughing with relief. She turned around and folded her arms atop her head as she tried to catch her breath. Worryingly, the massive creature continued to slide towards her.

The shattered icicle slid harmlessly past her, and she leapt back with a startled shriek. The carcass eventually came to a rest and her brother leaped from its head. He put his hands to his knees and doubled over as he tried to catch his breath. Osric looked up and glared at her as he shook an accusing finger, but was not yet able to put it to words.

“What?” Maleah stamped her foot and emphatically gestured to the fallen beast. “What the hell do you expect me to do against something like that?”

Osric took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. “You…”

“Besides,” She said, as she fixed her skirt, “it looked like you had things under control.”

Osric started to object, but froze, mouth agape. Maleah turned to see what caused his sudden change. An army of creatures from myth and legend spilled into the sanctuary from the ominous corridor. Maleah slouched and began to sob again. With most of their own forces dead or having fled, not even Osric could handle this coming threat.

He stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder, summoning her lance with the other. He held it out to her and she begrudgingly took it, the crocodile tears already dried.

“Aw hell—” she picked up a discarded spear frown— “look what you’ve done…”

“Hmmm. I did not prepare for this contingency…”

“Is that all you have to say, you bastard?” Her voice cracked and tears flowed freely.

“Maleah, if I am a bastard then what does that make you?”

A menacing figure in black armor approached upon a red-eyed eight-legged steed. The rider’s shiny black armor seemed integrated with its flesh. A black helm with two massive horns obscured any facial features. Like the Minotaur, the steed blew noxious fumes from its nostrils as it pawed the ground in anticipation. The rider looked down at them for several moments before he dismounted and drew a long black sword, the very sight of which was likely to maim.

“Seems you wish to die as well,” Osric said breathlessly as he rapidly drew several symbols of varying color.

“You’re fucking nuts, brother;" Maleah pleaded, tugging at Osric’s arm, "we should just get the hell outta here!”

“I am the most powerful mage in all of Silex!” Osric screamed as he pounded his chest with his fist.

Maleah laughed nervously as she tugged more forcefully at her brother’s arm. “Uh, Osric, perhaps we shouldn’t taunt the demons…”

To both of their surprise, the rider halted his approached and planted his sword in the ground. He then knelt before Osric. The army behind him followed suit. Osric dropped his castings, dumbfounded, and examined the ranks of what could only be his new army. He smirked in disbelief and then began to laugh: a slow ironic chuckle at first, then rising in hilarity until he was doubled over, howling like a madman.