“Now then,” Emil began. “Let’s get the basics out of the way, just so you know where we stand. I know the cleric is the one responsible for the drownings, and that you’ve gone out of your way every time to convince the townspeople that they were all accidents. What I want to know is the why of it all. Why that man would kill children, including those who trusted him as a family friend? And why would you, their mayor, defend such a man instead of prosecuting him for killing the kids of your own community? Why did so many innocent boys and girls have to die?” With each question, his tone grew louder and angrier.

The young man took a deep breath to compose himself, and cleared his throat. Mayor Duran stood up from his seat, and straightened out his clothes. He kept both of his hands behind his back as he began to speak. With one hand, he grabbed the grip of his personal shortsword. It was hidden underneath his robes, and he always kept it on him, just in case.

“Well, I won’t try to deny anything. It would be pointless to do so and attempt to feign ignorance. Everything you said just now was correct. Hadwin was the one responsible for doing the killing, and I remained his accomplice, making sure it all stayed quiet and buried. As for the why, however, is a bit more complicated and comes with a long story.”

“Go ahead and tell it then, we have all night,” Emil remarked. The mayor glanced at the window, watching the drops of rain running down its surface.

“I have been the mayor of this town for many, many years. Long enough that I barely even remember what life was like before I came into the office. However, my first day of being in this position is something that I will never forget. You’re new to this town, so you likely wouldn’t already know this. But there wasn’t always a proper local government managing this area. No, before the mayor’s office was established, it was the Order of Flumdea that held control.”

“The Order of Flumdea?”

“They’re an ancient religious sect, who practice the worship of the goddess known as Flumdea. But they are also quite secretive, so it’s not surprising that you have never heard of them. I’m personally not a member, so I haven’t been told most of their practices or teachings. However, history goes that they once held authority over this region, just over a century ago or so. But when our Kingdom of Mendac expanded conquered the smaller nations around them, that included this area. Most of the Order was driven out and their practices banned However, they were not wiped out completely.”

“I see. That does go along with what we were taught in history. That the first king received the blessing of the High Pantheon, and with that divine power, built up the kingdom. And while he was at it, stamped out the false faiths of the regions he took over.” That was something that everyone knew, they were all taught that much as children.

“Ah, but what if they weren’t false? After I was sworn into the mayor’s office, I was made aware of the Order’s existence. It was Hadwin who introduced me to the local leader at the time. Though at that point, he was still just a junior member. There’s a hidden tunnel in this town, one that I had never known about until they showed it to me. It acts as the sole passageway to a shrine dedicated to Flumdea, built in an underground chamber directly under the river…” The mayor took a moment to pause.

“Okay then, go on.”

“Yes, yes. You see, Flumdea is no false deity, she is very real. When I was brought down there, they invoked the name of their goddess and summoned her presence.” Mayor Duran grimaced as he recalled the memory. “And it was then that this town’s dark secret was passed down onto me. For you see, Flumdea is the being that essentially preserves this town. She keeps the river full of clean water and fish, she keeps the ground fertile for our crops, and even diverts disasters such as tornados. But she doesn’t do all of that for free.”

“Human sacrifice,” Emil said. Mayor Duran nodded in confirmation. “I get it. You ritualistically sacrifice children by drowning them in the river, and this being keeps your town prosperous in return. But if she is an actual goddess as you claim, she shouldn’t need their lives to perform her blessings. The gods of the High Pantheon ask people to worship them as a sign of respect to them. They don’t actually benefit from that or need it in any way.”

“I do not know. Everything I just said is effectively everything that I know. All I can say is that when I began my tenure as mayor, I was shocked and forbade the practice. And as a result, our town suffered.” Mayor Duran solemnly shook his head. The older man looked away from the window, and back at Emil.

“The spring of that year came with floods and destruction. The summer was the opposite, the river dried up and fish became a scarcity. Autumn was normal, that was when the Order insisted that I allow them to do their work. But I put my foot down, and we proceeded to face the harshest winter this town had ever seen in its history. Many people would not live to see the next year. Finally, after seeing so much death and destruction, I relented. Now as their goddess demands it, a child is killed in the river. And as a result of paying her price, we have seen nothing but good harvests and glad tidings.”

“Is that all?” Emil began. “Then why not simply move away? If your entire town is effectively being kept hostage by this bloodthirsty deity, then it was you who should have evacuated them all to somewhere outside of her influence. Do you want to know what I see? I see a man standing in front of me who gave up and took the easy way. Someone who threw away the lives of his own people by giving in and letting their deaths go to waste,” he said as he glared daggers into the mayor’s eyes.

“You… how dare you even think that-”

“I think I know enough now!” Emil yelled, cutting the older man off. The mayor couldn’t help but flinch back a little. “You were right to refer to yourself as an accomplice, that’s all you are. Just a pathetic excuse for a leader who thinks that it’s okay for him to benefit from the blood of the innocent. You keep your people ignorant of what’s happening, all the while letting them feel sorrow then their children are unknowingly taken like lambs to the slaughter. Their blood may not literally be on your hands, but you’re just as responsible. A man like you deserves what’s coming to him. But I’m willing to give you just one chance to make things right for yourself.”

“And what could that possibly mean?” Mayor Duran quietly asked. He tightened his hand around the shortsword’s grip.

“Be honest to your people, the citizens of this town. Tell them the truth about the murders, explain it all. Prostrate yourself before the parents of the killed children, and beg for their forgiveness. And then accept whatever punishment or decision they make. At least this way, whatever they decide, you get to keep at least some of your dignity and honor intact.”

“So you say, but I can’t do that.” Mayor Duran drew his sword and pointed it at Emil. The light of the fireplace reflected against the clean steel of the weapon.

“To be truthful, I never intended to let you leave this building alive. But in all this time, you’re the only one who has managed to find out the truth. As such, I figured you at least deserved to hear the full story before you died. I must thank you, though. The truth has been something I haven’t been able ever to share with anyone, so I admit that this was a good opportunity to get it off my chest. Now show me where Hadwin is so I can check on him, and I promise that I’ll make your death quick and painless.”

“I see, so that’s your answer then?” Emil asked as he stared at the sword. Though he just had a weapon drawn on him, the young man didn’t seem scared of it. If anything, he looked quite unimpressed. He pointed his thumb behind his shoulder, towards the hallway.

“Fine then, so be it. As you requested, I’ll let you see how that cleric is doing. Just give it one minute.” From behind him, the mayor could hear movement coming down from inside the hall. A few moments later, the sound of something large being dragged across the wood could be heard.

As it entered the room, the sword began to quiver in the mayor’s hand as his eyes widened with fear. Dragging the body of Hadwin behind it, was a monster that could only have existed in nightmares. And yet, it was currently right there before him, and seemed very real.

“By the gods, what is that thing?!” Mayor Duran cried. He wanted to look over at Emil, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off this obscene crime against nature and all that was holy. It was an amalgamation of countless small insects, seemingly mashed together into one. Such a thing shouldn’t have been able to move, but it did anyway.

“Ah him?” Emil began. “That’s just Theo, my companion. He’s the one that helped the cleric take his nap. Theo, you just drop that man’s body right there on the ground. The mayor should be able to see from there that he’s still alive and breathing. Oh, and feel free to say hello to the mayor. That would be the courteous thing to do, after all.” Upon his command, the monster let go of the cleric. Hadwin's chest heaved as he took a deep breath. It then looked up at the mayor, its mandibles moving to reveal the inside of its mouth as its antennae twitched.

“Gree…tings. I… serve… ma…ster.”

Mayor Duran’s knees almost buckled out from right under him as he heard the thing speak. He had heard that certain Mages specialized in summoning creatures, and that a subset of them were used in experiments. The mayor even remembered seeing a few pictures once, of those new creatures that they referred to as ‘chimeras’. But never in his life had he known of anything like this, especially not something that could actually talk!

“Who… just who are you?!” He yelled, his voice shaking. As the mayor took a step back in fear of this man and the monster he commanded, Emil took a step forward in turn. Emil began to raise up his hand.

Afraid of what he might do, the mayor swung his blade at him. However, before it could hit his body, the creature leaped into the air. The edge of the sword hit its shell with a sickening thunk The feedback of the impact reverberated into the mayor’s hand and up his arm. But rather than fall to the ground and die, the monster’s legs then clutched around the sword. The points of the bottom pair of spindly legs dug through his sleeves and into his wrist.

The mayor tumbled backward, crashing into the table right behind him. The cups of tea flew off, shattering into pieces as they hit the ground. With nowhere left for him to run, Emil wrapped his hand around the older man’s throat and tightened his grip around it.

The instant their bodies made physical contact, a sharp pain stabbed into the mayor’s mind as a wave of cold washed over him. It was like a knife was being dug into his skull and cutting its way into his brain. Emil’s hand was as cold as ice against his skin. Mayor Duran’s eyes rolled back, as it felt like a million icicles were being stabbed into his each and every pore.

It was then that images of his past seemed to appear before him, starting from this moment and working their way backwards in time. Was this his life flashing before his eyes? No, it felt like something was digging its fingers into the folds of his brain. And was now forcibly flipping through his very memories like the pages of a book. He tried to struggle, to fight back both physically and mentally. But his air supply was cut off, and the world became darker with every passing moment.

Suddenly, just as he thought that the end had come, Emil released his grip. The older man coughed and wheezed as the pressure was released from his throat. Emil then placed his palm against the mayor’s chest. As he did, the feeling of cold felt as though it had become focused right into his heart. The younger man looked down at him, a look of disgust was the only expression he wore.

“Before you receive your punishment, I want you to hear it, to know what’s about to happen. I don’t take any pleasure in drawing out your pain or torturing you physically. But when it comes to mental anguish, you deserve no less than to be the second most afraid man to ever live. I give you a chance to be punished by your own community, where they might have simply given you a quick execution. But honestly? I think that would have been too good for you. You’re about to die, yes, but death won’t be the merciful end that you might think it is.”

A dark aura began to build up around Emil. With his free hand, he pulled something out. The world was still blurry for the mayor as he tried to blink away the tears. He had still just barely recovered enough from the asphyxiation to hear and understood what was being said. But it looked like he was now holding some kind of small, spherical object.

“You were an accomplice to the cleric in life, so I think that it’s only appropriate that you remain so in death. But this time, you shall be working for me. I’m going to manipulate your very soul, tearing out the parts that make you a person into a separate piece. Then I’ll take the remainder, and use it to reanimate your corpse as an undead. Then I’ll take that piece that’s really you, and trap it inside your own form. Simply think of it like a jail sentence. If it works, you’ll be unable to do anything other than watch as I put your body to work and use it for good. Until the time comes that I deem that you have paid your penance, and release you. But if it fails and I accidentally destroy your soul instead… oh well. Even in that case, it’ll still be a net positive for the world.”

It was then that the mayor felt an intense amount of pressure inside his chest. He felt incredibly nauseous, as though he were about to throw up. A sensation that was quickly followed by pain, like his heart was being tightly squeezed. Mayor Duran involuntarily lurched forward as the pain suddenly intensified. Every muscle in his body contracted and spasmed. Finally, after what felt like both an instant and an eternity, it came to an end. With a final gasp, it all went dark for the mayor as the lights of his life went out.