Tasha tore through the woods, the haunting image of Captain Owin’s body dominated her mind as she ran towards the temple. Having spent a large portion of her childhood in these woods Tasha knew the path she needed to take. Now unburdened by her fellows she was free to take the quickest path at a fast pace. If she maintained a constant run she would be at the temple in about two hours time.

She began drawing Lux stored within her source, shaping it into a matrix of glyphs and symbols behind her eyes. The spell framework now in place, she sent a pulse of mana towards it causing it to activate. The darkness of the forest was lifted as the lux flowed into her eyes.

Next, she started to allow the gentle flow of Vitus to disperse throughout her body, she felt her limbs grow lighter as her fatigue was lifted and her body strengthened by the influx of life mana. The cut on her face started to mend as she wove her vitus through the wound like sutures, slowly drawing it closed.

The use of mana felt good like stretching a muscle and falling back on her training calmed Tasha. It made her feel as if she had regained some measure of control over the hellish nightmare she had found herself in.

Her body enhancement allowed her to speed up her pace as her mind turned towards the events of the day. No matter how hard she tried Tasha could not piece together what had occurred, a whole group of men-at-arms led by a hero slain with no obvious preparator, she would not have believed it if she had not seen it herself.

So who could have done it? Kirk, the boy who had stabbed her, was the first option that occurred to her, but it just didn't add up. If he had the power and willingness to kill a whole squad, why bother trying to lie? Why not just kill Tasha and John instead of running? Sure the boy was weird, a thief, and had cut open her face, but Tasha could not believe he was responsible.

So what else could it be?

Goblins? The crusaders of the light had received Reports that the goblin tribes had been ramping in aggression and intelligence, a fact confirmed by the first ambush they had undergone that day. No, it couldn't be, even the most cunning of attacks against Captain Owin’s trained and heavily armed squad would result in goblin-kin casualties, yet only human corpses were splayed across the battlefield. Most damningly, however, was that the bodies were unlooted, goblins raided and fought for loot, and for them to leave the valuable weapons and amour behind was almost unthinkable. So what else could it be?

Tasha racked her brain as she ran. She was missing something, she could feel it in her bones.

Come on Tash think, what are you missing?

A memory surfaced from the recesses of her mind, she had only been paying half attention to Captain Owin when he had announced the away party, finding herself more concerned with her arrow riddled friends at the time. But she did recall one fact from the event, they were attempting the rescue of a man and a child. She had found the child so where was the man?

The puzzle started to fall into place in Tasha's mind. Kirk had mentioned an Uncle who had gone off for help, but in retrospect, it was clear the boy was stalling for time most likely so this “uncle” could return and deal with her and John. The more she mulled it over the more likely it seemed, who else could raise such a body-looting, face stabbing little weasel but a psychopath who would slaughter the virtuous without a second thought.

So where was he? This question seemed the most pertinent in Tasha’s mind, the thought of an extremely powerful and incredibly malicious man running around freely worried her greatly.

So where would he go?

Tasha’s stomach cramped with dread. A revelation burning in her mind, he would try to finish what he had started. Meaning he would head towards the temple or worse the camp of juniors. Panic once again gripped her heart, as she was unsure of what she should do. She could continue her dash to the temple and seek help, or she could try to go the camp and try to save her fellows. Indecision racked her brain, she was closer to the temple by this point, and what could she hope to accomplish against a man that could kill Captain Owin? Her best bet was by far to head to the temple, after all it was his most likely target. If he was trying to stamp out the crusaders of the light why would he bother with the juniors when he could assault the temple and cut off the head.

Now certain of her path, Tasha increased her speed pushing her body to the limits. Now all she had left to figure out was how she would convince the temple of the seriousness of her claims, after all, she had no proof.

The sound of wood snapping ripped Tasha from her thoughts as she heard the sound of something heavy crashing behind her.

She whipped around and was greeted with the sight of a monstrosity conjured from her nightmares some distance behind her, even with her lux enhanced vision the details of the beast seemed to bleed into the darkness of the night, obscuring everything but the beast’s prodigious size.

Drawing her sword, she pivoted sending lux into the palm of her hand where it pooled, condensing into a ball of light. The monster’s body tensed as it brought itself low and lept into the air, soaring high in the air. At the same time Tasha shot the ball from her hand towards the airborne beast, she had timed her attack well and the ball slammed into the creature's face, exploding into a flash of light that made Tasha’s vision swim. A shrill cry of pain escaped from the monster as it crashed into the ground and began to thrash widely, sending dirt and detritus into the air.

Tasha once again froze with indecision, should she press her advantage and fight the creature? Or turn and run to seek help from the temple? Even more importantly what in the holy name of Yaza was that thing? It looked like no monster Tasha had ever heard of and there was no way its appearance was a coincidence. Perhaps this was the Uncle Kirk had referred to? Some kind of shapechanger or a spirit bonded to the boy.

There was too much Tasha did not know.

Her sword began to quiver in her hands

It was too much, she was in way over her head, her friends and hero had died and her brother had gone off to gods knows where. She was truly alone faced against a monster that had potentially slaughtered people magnitudes stronger than her.

Tasha was scared.

Tasha found herself unable to move as the monster recovered and glared at her. Now that it was closer she could make out the wolf-like jaws soaked in saliva and the many eyes that glared with malice as they focused on her. The creature brought its head low ready for another pounce.

Move Please move

Tasha’s panic bubbled to the surface and she turned and ran.

The creature let out a gurgle of triumph as she heard it dash into the air.

Tasha fell back on the one thing she knew.

She began to pray, shouting her exaltations to Yaza as loud as her voice would let her as she spun around swinging her sword in a desperate strike.

The blow hit nothing but air as the creature landed in front of her a moment later.

Tasha screamed her prayers as she attempted to bring her sword into a guarding position.

The creature was too fast.

Its clawed hand pierced through Tasha's armor and buried itself deep into her stomach. Tasha howled her prayers as she raised her sword high above her head, if she was to die it was coming with her.

As it drove its hand upwards towards her heart she drove her sword into one of its eyes. It screamed in pain and bucked up onto its hindlegs, ripping away from Tasha taking with it a portion of her entrails and her sword still lodged in its head.

Letting out a wail of furry Tasha drew her dagger and charged the beast. She knew she was dead now all that was left was to see how bad she could hurt this thing. The creature tore free the sword and threw it to the side, just in time to see her approach. It slammed back down onto its front legs attempting to crush Tasha with its weight, she rolled into the creature's recently created blind spot, narrowly avoiding the bone-crushing impact. It lashed out with its claws as it turned it body and head trying to return Tasha to its line of sight. Its inability to aim allowed Tasha to narrowly avoid a second round of disembowelment, as she wove in between the blows screaming her hymns in what she hoped was the creature's ear. The creature roared in irritation and stuck at her with blind fury.

She sidestepped the blow and guided by adrenaline and primal instinct she jumped towards the creature and with all of the rage inside of her body drove the dagger deep into another eye socket.

Her scream and the monsters melded into one cacophony of primeval agony as she drove all of her weight down on the dagger, driving the blade hilt deep. The creature snapped back its head and wrapped its jaws around her wrist.

The world blurred as Tasha was yanked in front of the beast. She had a mere moment to observe her predicament before the monster started to forcefully shake its head side to side. Tasha screamed as she heard the wet *POP* of her shoulder being ripped from its socket. The thrashing continued, a strange warm sensation rolled down her arm as the sounds of crunching filled the woods.

With one extra violent twitch, Tasha was launched from the creature’s maw and sent flying into the dirt. She slammed into the ground and felt her ribs shatter.

She rolled onto her back and stared into the night sky, her prayer falling to a mummer.

The stars are so pretty tonight

Tasha wanted to sleep, to shut her eyes, forget today, and drift off into the darkness.

But what would that accomplish?

Could she let her brother and her friends exist in a world filled with such dangerous beings without her to protect them?

Tasha had vowed to fight this thing to her last and she was always one to honor a promise.

She sat up and looked at her hand to assess the damage.

It was gone.

In its place was a mangled stump, rhythmically pumping blood onto the ground. She looked at the creature just in time to see it swallow what was once her hand. She looked back at her hand, waiting for the rush of pain, it didn't come.

Thank Yaza for shock

She started to convert all of her raw mana into vitus, which she immediately put to work: 90% towards keeping her alive and the other 10% to making sure her sense of pain stayed dull. Resuming her prayers, she picked up a rock and waited.

The creature stared and waited. It was smarter than it looked, it was common knowledge there was nothing more dangerous than a dying mage, one who did not have to fear the consequences of abusing magic. It knew Tasha was dying and all it had to do was wait, then it could feast.

She had to force its hand somehow, but what could she do?

She was bleeding out, spending all of her mana just to keep her alive for a few more minutes without any weapons, she could not see any options.

I’m going to die no matter what

The realization agonized Tasha more than any wound, her fate was to die a pointless death. What was the point of all her training, had she just wasted her short life?

An idea flashed into her mind, she was dying, she did not have to fear the consequence. There was one last thing she could do

Potentia was not only produced in the soul but made up a large portion of its composition. The act of drawing mana from the weave of the soul as opposed to the source was a dangerous art called soul-tearing, that if misused could have catastrophic results. Captain Owin had taught her this technique, so it was fitting she would use it to try to avenge him.

She began ripping into her soul purposely extracting as much as she could, causing her internal mana to become destabilized wracking her body with searing pain, as she started channeling all of her mana into one spell.

Light bomb

Howling her one women sermon, her body began to light up with a blinding radiance, she could not spare the mana for any range

she would die, but so would it.

Sensing action the creature tensed and prepared to leap

Tasha scream reached a fever pitch as the spell neared completion and the monster jumped into the air

“Hush child, Your faith has been heard and deemed worthy” A calm soothing voice spoke into Tasha’s mind that filled her body with a feeling of warmth and security. A spear of light thudded into the creature knocking it off course.

The feeling of warmth and security continued to blanket her body making her mind feel like syrup, still she maintained the presence of mind to turn her head towards the source of the projectile.

Space was distorting and ripping right in front of her very eyes, from the gashes poured dazzling radiance. Next came six hovering orbs made from a tangle of chains surrounding a core of light, four heavy manacles hung from the bottom of each orb.

Even though she found it hard to think Tasha still recognized these new arrivals from her extensive religious education. They were ballivis, low ranking angels of Yaza. Tasha stared in shock, once she had embraced death she had disregarded any possibility of rescue, the idea that it might come from the divine was even more ridiculous.

Yet it was happening before her very eyes. What emerged next shocked her even more.

A giant bird-headed humanoid stepped out. On its back were wings made of glowing chains, in the place of its legs was a single floating disc, its only piece of clothing was a blood-soaked blindfold.

She stared mouth agape. it was a vilicus, a high-ranking angel that only the most powerful and devout of priests could summon or channel and it had come for her.

She was so enraptured by the appearance of the divine beings the monster had completely slipped from her mind, she turned to look at it,

The creature lay on the ground ripping at the spear of light lodged in its side, the flesh around the light seemed to bubble and dissolve.

The vilicus looked at Tasha freezing her in place. Fragmented words appeared in her head as she starred.

“Faith …. Strong …. Potential …. Pact” The jumble of sounds and sensations inside her head made Tasha nauseous.

“Pact?” Tasha said aloud, her training most definitely did not cover this.

“Bargain … power …. serve … our …. Lord” She vomited blood on the ground, from her wounds or the booming voice in her skull she could not tell

“Our Lord? Do you mean Yaza” She asked, she needed answers quick. It was getting very cold.

“True … bound … together … servitude” The creature responded

“Pact …. True …. False?” Tasha could sense the question in the creature's tone, she knew her answer. She would do anything to see her brother again.

“I… accepted your offer” She hoped she had not made a massive mistake

“Pact …. Struck …. Prepare …. Pain” The creature extended its hand towards Tasha

Pain

Burning

It felt like she was on fire.

She looked at her stump and saw a network of light begin to take shape.

She looked up and saw the ballivis rush towards the creature still lying supine on the ground fruitless trying to remove the spear in its side.

She looked at her stomach and saw the same pattern of light weaving across her torso.

She screamed the agony worsening. When she looked up the angels had begun wrapping their chains around the creature and the surrounding environment attempting to hold it in place. It lashed out catching a ballivus in its clawed hand. It slammed it against the ground sending out a pulse of dimming light.

The network of light on her stump began to take shape into a hand, on it were holy symbols carved into her flesh. She looked up in time to see the vilicus throw another spear of light into the creature.

In the time she had looked away it had managed to kill three of the angels, but now the remaining ones had it chained tightly to the ground. The vilicus’ hand extended to a blade of light as it hovered over to the restrained beast. With one swoop the creature’s head flopped to the ground, its lifeless body began to disintegrate.

The vilicus looked back at her and spoke into her mind once more.

“Name…. Mydaiel ….. Rest …. Now …. Bounded”

Tasha looked at her new hand, prominently on the back of her hand was the symbol of Yaza: A set of scales one side hung up with a noose the other suspended with a manacle.

Tasha passed into blissful oblivion