I looked up at the priest, puzzled. He was clearly human, another Astral Emperor-candidate no doubt, but he seemed, for want of a better word… defeated. Not at all what I expected our opponent to look like, considering the power of his Territory.

“I suggest you surrender.” I countered, dodging as the beetle slammed one leg that was as thick as my torso down where I was standing a moment before, the chitin ripping out a chunk of the steps, showering me with gravel. As another leg swept towards me I retaliated, wind slamming into it, knocking it back for a moment before shining jade patterns ran over the carapace, dispersing my offensive harmlessly. “Seriously, we have you massively outnumbered, and if we have to, we won’t show mercy!” the ground underneath the massive beetle churned, Ulfuric manipulating it with the ruby glow of earth energies, and several legs were snared, stone melted like tar rising up to cover the lower body of the kami.

Even as Ulfuric was trapping the huge beetle, Shaeula was leading the attack on the others, her pinwheels darting about, not striking fatal blows, but herding them together, away from the deadly wires.

“You don’t understand.” The priest said desperately, raising his hand and launching a cloud of flying beetles at us, their buzzing cries and clicking jaws like a million cicadas. The black swarm darted down towards us, hungry to strip us to the bone, but a flash of citrine flame erupted, Shaeula scorching the swarm, killing many, scattering the rest.

“You think I want this?” the priest tore at his hair, clumps coming free, which looked painful. “I didn’t ask for this, and worse… I had no way to resist her. She’s coming, and when she gets here you’ll die, if you are lucky. Flee, fools. Worse if he comes too. The pain…” his gaze floated over to Shaeula, and his winced. “… he’ll like you, girl. Best you die here before he gets his hands on you. I’ll show you that mercy at least. Otherwise my soul will never find peace, if it is ever released from this bondage.”

The beetle was again covered in shining emerald pictograms, and with a huge effort it tore free from its binds. Drawing in the surrounding ether that the battles had generated, it started forming a ball of rushing winds, expanding and growing until it was the size of a boulder. My skin was stinging from the pressure, and it was hard to see as dust and debris were dragged into the swirling maelstrom.

“I fear there is more-more to this than we had considered.” Shaeula mused, unworried by his dire warnings. “He does not-not seem to be our true foe. We must gather information quickly, lest we misstep.” To that end Shaeula unleashed her Foehn once more, and the greedy breath ensnared the green torrent. Shaeula’s eyes were burning bright amber, illuminating the gloom, and she let out an exclamation as she observed the foes we were facing. “I see-see. So that is it.”

“What is it?” I asked, dodging a slashing blow from a ceremonial fan wielded by one of the beetle-men. It didn’t look dangerous, but I was getting an idea that if it hit me I wouldn’t get off unscathed. Dropping under the blow I used my spear to trip the servant of the kami, and as it hit the pavement hard I noticed it too had some sort of gleaming stud like the kami sported, only this one was a dirty brown-silver colour, and around it were traces of dried ichor.

“Up above.” Ulfuric shouted, and my gaze left the fallen beetle, to see several of the ghost women floating high in the sky, looking down on us. “Can you deal with them?”

Before I could answer, Shaeula finished her move, Foehn consuming the wind, which she funnelled into another of her unique winds. Energy gushed out, stronger than ever, and she shouted a single word. “Halt!”

With her order movement ceased, the six lesser beetles stumbling to a stop. Even the priest and the larger beetle kami were frozen, though they immediately strained against the order, two conflicting commands clashing. The kami thrashed, nearly striking Shaeula with an errant leg, while the priest bled silver and red from his eyes, bile bubbling from his throat. He clutched at his chest, tearing at the cloth, and underneath I could see…

Ugh, that’s ugly. A metal spike was sticking out of his torso, rusted and dark with gore. Around the inflamed wound ran lines of silvery metal, which were sinking into his body like some kind of vile parasite. Just like the… bending down, the beetle I had overthrown was motionless, so I used the tip of my spear to lever at the stud I had spotted. The beetle shrilled out in pained protest, but moments later the spike popped free. It was a nail.

“I see you have grasped my intent. I would expect no-no less from you, Akio.” Shaeula grinned. “They have been bound-bound by the vilest arts I have ever seen. It rivals the Unseelie for callous disregard for life.”

She had pulled her knife of light and was using it to pry free a nail in another of the kami’s attendants. It sizzled under the light, breaking apart, and the beetle hissed something that might have been thanks.

“He came and I don’t know how he did it, but his very gaze brings such pain.” The priest sobbed, half-crazy. “Still, I should’ve returned home to my son and daughter. But when she stabbed me with the nail, I couldn’t leave. Even now I can’t disobey. Even the kami of the shrine, against her cruel spikes…” more swarms of the small biting beetles started forming around him. “… I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Months, years? Am I even still alive? I just want to go home to my daughter. But you can’t save me. It’s too late.”

Shaeula had freed two more, I had prized the nail from a fifth immobile foe, but as we moved towards the sixth a shadow passed overhead, and a massive metallic sword comprised entirely of sharp spikes of rusted iron descended, a dozen feet long. Ulfuric threw up walls of stone but it smashed through, driving him to his knees. Shaeula was thrown aside, spitting blood, and Ixitt was hurled backwards, landing in front of our supporting troops. I felt pain too, and looked down to see a gash carved through my armour by scattered metal debris.

“She’s here…” the priest cried. “Now you’ll join us in this hell too.”

“Men truly are useless.” Kiku, the widow of nails sighed, her dirty kimono billowing behind her from the backlash of the collision. In her hand she held the sword of nails, and she hefted it, lifting it free, the end stained with gore from two slain beetle-men, one that Shaeula was about to set free, and another who had been lying there immobile.

Damn, they were servants of a kami… that’s got to be bad luck…

I was then suddenly bowled over by a glancing impact from the side, a massive bolt of etheric energy slamming into my already damaged armour. I landed near Shaeula, before staggering to my feel. Fuck, I forgot the sniper emplacement in all the chaos… The injury wasn’t too bad, though I felt broken ribs, but… damn, as I accumulate more injuries it’s harder for me to hold onto my own aether in this enemy Territory. The rate of drain was still bearable, but it was definitely increasing.

“Are you able to fight?” Ulfuric asked us, and we readied ourselves.

“Of course.” Shaeula scoffed, wiping away a thin trickle of silvery blood from the corner of her lips. “Akio and I shall never be defeated.”

“This woman is dangerous.” Ulfuric warned. “I sense a deep madness within her.”

As if to mock us, the woman paid us no attention. She turned her gaze to the priest on top of the kami, her expression cold and baleful. “You cannot even defend your own shrine?” she scoffed. “Such a pathetic excuse for a man. Now, crush and kill the intruders. But…” her gaze strayed over to Shaeula, and her expression softened momentarily, though there was an odd gleam in her eyes. “… I shall end the girl myself. It is far better to have sweet release at my hands than suffer the torments all men subject women to.”

“Torments?” Shaeula seemed genuinely puzzled. “I fear-fear you are mistaken. Akio has given me naught but joys. Not-not all males are as vile as you surmise. You may have suffered, and I sympathise, but do not-not tar my Akio with the…”

Damn, I feel all warm inside when she sticks up for me, though to be fair I did almost kill her that time…

“Enough.” The enemy snapped, her sword of nails breaking down into a massive cloud of smaller spikes which surrounded her like flying daggers. “We have suffered, and continue to suffer. Do we not, my daughter?” her gaze moved skyward, and amidst the increasing number of female wraiths we could see one that was almost entirely human-looking. And then she spoke, surprising me.

“I was … I was … murdered. And worse.” The ghost whispered, yet we could hear her clearly. “I wasn’t well, trapped in a nightmare. And it doesn’t end. This is even more horrible. I want my daddy! I want to go home!”

“Hush now, my child. You need no father, only your mother, me.” The widow of nails comforted her. “You can take your pain out on these intruders, since alas we are bound to serve the man who tortured us.” She turned back to us. “You see, foolish girl? Best you accept death before the master comes, lest you end up a slave to his cruel whims like us.”

“If he comes, Akio will protect me, and defeat him-him. After all, he overthrew my brother to protect my dream.”

“So be it.” Kiku sighed. “Foolish priest, pitiful kami. I command you… kill them!” at her words they both started struggling again, more blood and mist rising from joints and wounds. Shimmering jade wind where Shaeula had ordered them to stop was concentrated around their hearts, and with a pop those energies disintegrated, consumed by a baleful grey smog. As the verdant light died they started to move once more, poised to attack.

“I’m sorry! If you had run when I told you to, you could have asked my daughter to forgive me! As it is, now you’ll die, or worse!”

The beetle kami spoke too, it’s voice… nothing like I expected. It was quiet and refined, only marred by an occasional clicking noise of its mandibles. “You have freed my attendants, those which clik-clik still live. If you survive this, please shelter them. I shall clik-clik not hold my defeat against you, for I am a weak god who has declined greatly. Now I am only worshipped by clik-clik evil men and fallen women. Oblivion is a kinder fate than clik-clik eternal servitude. Now go, my attendants. Live on. Escape.”

At his words the four remaining beetle attendants looked shocked, but at the kami’s urging they raced for our lines. Kiku clicked her tongue in annoyance. “So, you have been freed of my binding nails? No matter. It seems you have chosen death…” she swung an arm and her shroud of spikes began to spray out like bullets.

“Full defence!” Ulfuric roared, and the shield-bearing weaselkin raced forwards, the changing music fortifying them. Stone walls roared free, and the multi-layered defence was peppered by the rain of nails, iron grinding on metal and stone, like an infernal hailstorm. I had grabbed Shaeula and leapt to safety, taking a few hits for my trouble, cold pain flaring where I had been pierced.

“You okay?” I asked, putting on a brave face, and as Shaeula nodded the walls of stone exploded, the beetle kami forced to sweep away our fortifications. Several weaselkin died, crushed underfoot, and their spirits joined the orbit around Shaeula. She bit her lip angrily, mourning the death of her new kin, and our eyes met.

“She has driven us off before, but no more-more.” Shaeula declared. “We shall defeat her!”

“Damn right. We have a few trump cards left.” I agreed. Wincing as I tore free several nails that had pierced my arms and legs, I gestured to Ixitt, who had also regained his feet. Understanding my signal, he brought out his new toy that I had helped him make.

“I’m sorry!” the priest said as more of his swarm gathered, the threatening mass flying towards our backline of archers and musicians, only to jolt in surprise as our mages bombarded them with torrents of wind. “There’s still time to flee. If you run, she might not chase you!” he ranted. “Just… please tell my daughter…”

“Silence. Enough from you.” the widow ordered, and the priest clamped his mouth shut so fast his tongue was bitten savagely. “Just kill them. You too, my daughters. Pick off the weak and slay them. Each man dead is one less that shall torment us.”

The floating ghost who could speak looked sad, but with a nod she raised her hands high into the sky. “I don’t know how I know how to do this, but…” light was gathering in her palms, a beautiful prismatic rainbow, yet somehow I had a feeling it was nothing good for us…