Blu’s sight slipped for a moment as he pressed his back against the wall behind him. What in the name of the Holy North had just happened? He asked himself this over and over as he attempted to collect what sanity he had left. His fuzzy gaze shifted from his bloodied, shaking hands to a group of people huddled around a small girl lying on the ground. In the distance screaming and the metal clangs of sword combat echoed through closed doors and into the hall where the many terrified individuals lived.

“For the love of Solis put some pressure on that wound the lass is going to bleed out! You three with me we need to keep that fucking door shut before that thing gets in here!” One man barked as himself and a few others sprinted like no tomorrow towards the massive chamber door directly across from Blu who was still trying to catch wind of this all, “And will someone wake that damned bounty hunter up and tell him to do something before we end up being sent to the inferno like the rest of the unit!”. These men. Where had they come from? They were soldiers. No. Guards, perhaps? The expressions on their dirty and blood-stained faces screamed inexperience. But to Blu’s relief, they were on his side. At least that’s what he could gather.

“We’re losing her, sir!” The girl’s body shook as she coughed up blood, “If we don’t get her out of here, well, she’s as good as dead!” Another man chimed in during the chaos as he pressed his hands down on her chest helplessly, trying to shield a massive gash that started at her left breast and ended at her hip. The damage was too much for the little one to handle, and she only had a matter of minutes before her light would slip to the heavens above. Still, the man did what he could as he gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his tears as another beside him continued to tell the dying girl everything would be okay over and over. It was all they could do at this point. She was going to die and nothing could save her now.

Blu picked himself up, pressing his hand against his forehead as he grunted, almost tripping over his own feet. He needed to deduct what happened. They entered the mines. Then what? There were two girls with him from the Grey Company. As he stood there, his eyes widened. Like a bolder striking a war-torn castle, it all came crumbling down. Everyone was dead before they even knew what was going on. What they had stumbled upon, that unholy ritual, whatever the cultists were trying to do they succeeded, and with that success...

* * * * *

Hell Followed

* * * * *

“My oh my. You caught her, did you?” An unnaturally tall woman in clad white robes stood before a beaten and bloodied Black. Her fingers, wrapped in silver rings, graced the prisoner’s bruised skin with the gentlest of touches. Although her face was hidden under fresh white bandages, it was very clear she was smiling eagerly with dreadful delight. Black looked up and smiled back, although it was a mock rather than a return. She knew their type. Cultists were not as mad as one would think. Simply stupid. Fiddling with things they do not understand. Chances are everyone around her was idiotic or anything beyond that line. Murdering in the name of a dead loved one is one thing. But how these people operate? Black could only think of all the terrible things she was going to do to these morons once she slipped out of her chains. Though the sinking realization soon set in that this was probably not going to happen. Smart? No, far from it. But they were a crafty group and judging by the stinging pain in her wrists she was shackled good and secure.

“I beat the ever-living fuck out of her with some stick I found out back, but ya know she is pretty tough! After my arm got tired, I switched to the other, and then I got bored so I let the guard outside take a swing. Then we both just started doing it and then she passed out! It has been a very eventful evening for this little cat!”

Morris, along with several others, were bowing before the tall woman. Unlike his fellow cultists, Morris had no problem telling it as it was. He was comfortable enough with this seemed to be the leader of theirs’s. Her safety was not a priority after all. Only that she was kept alive, and although abuse was involved, the man did what I asked of him like the good follower he was. The woman’s hand guided itself downward and rested on Black’s shoulder, “Poor girl. Have my children mistreated you? Truly I am taken back by this.” The sarcasm wisped off her charming tone as she tightened her grip, making Black wince in pain. “I’m sure you have many questions.”

“Nope.” She said through her teeth trying to shake the woman’s grasp off of her but to no avail.

The room fell silent. Morris slowly got up and laughed, “Yeah, she does that. Just carry on it may not seem like it, but she’s most likely shitting herself right now. That or it happened earlier when I introduced her to Sir Woodly the 3rd.”

Black shook her head and giggled, closing her eyes to just take the moment in. The woman in white released her grasp on Black and made her way over to Morris, “And everything is ready, yes? No complications, I hope.”. Morris nodded and gave her a thumbs up with a stupid grin on his face.

“Oh yes! It is showtime!” As Morris announced this with glee in his tone, two men got up from behind him with daggers in hand. Black simply looked up at them as the two surrounded her, and she laughed with a wild look in her fiery red eyes. Grabbing her by her hair, one cultist hissed and drove his blade into her chest and the other soon joined. The two stabbed her over and over until the laughing ceased and there was nothing more than a mangled pile of flesh that still held a wide, sickening grin on its lips. Black was dead.

* * * * *

“C’mon guys, wait up!” The witch complained as she followed behind the two almost out of breath. Being as short as she was, her long-legged party members could cover more ground than her. But she persevered and kept on as the two exchanged words about Blu’s adventure in the east. Although an easterner herself, Haru was born in Solis and was raised by a southern family of mixed descent.

She was amazed to hear that Blu so easily made it through the borders and did what he did. People of the east were devoted to protecting the dead as their religion followed. So, that they let an outsider just walk into a mass grave just told her that things were just as bad as she had heard. She could not blame them, however. That village was a crime scene, and the east wanted nothing to do with it. As far as they knew demon was on foreign soil by now tormenting an entirely new flock. But to keep good relations for future trade it was clear they didn’t mind letting one or two foreigners in to desecrate a grave if it kept their appearance positive, putting aside their isolationist ways.

“I still don’t believe you.” Haru rolled her eyes.

“About what?” Blu stared ahead with a straight face; Po finally catching up to them, she tiredly asked them to slow their pace, so she didn’t end up getting left behind. Though she knew Haru would never let that happen, there was always the slim chance of them getting separated via cave-in. Most of these old mines had been buried long before peace times because of natural causes, so the thought of being trapped beneath ore and rock was something that was in the back of all of their heads as they ventured deeper into the abyss.

“The little ghost girl, of course. No way that happened.”

“We live in a world where magic exists and literal beast-men are walking the streets buying apples and you’re calling me out because I saw a ghost.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’m doing.”

“I am both enraged and confused.” He sighed, “I mean why do-“ Haru’s hand shot up and stopped Blu mid-sentence. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on a small trail of blood that seemed to appear out of thin air. Blu tilted his head and caught it as well. He was nearly embarrassed that he hadn’t seen this first being of a hunter. But he dusted this thought off. The two looked at one another, then sped up their pace.

“Hey wait! That is the opposite of what I asked what are you guys doing!” Po protested as she mustered every bit of energy she had into her tiny legs and ran behind them as she hugged her staff.

After a moment the two were in a full-blown sprint as distant screams could be heard further down the mine. As Blu ran beside Haru, he reached for his rifle but stopped himself, remembering that one slip up could send them to the heavens. Literally. Replacing that motion, he unsheathed his knife from his belt and continued alongside Haru. The screams grew louder and louder until finally, the three found themselves in a chamber of sorts. The ceiling above them was so high the darkness engulfed it as if it were never-ending. A night sky without a moon or stars to guide tired travelers home. Before them laid a motionless figure. As Haru was about to rush to the person’s aid Blu quickly put his hand in front of her and shouted, “No, stop! This isn’t right.”

Blu scanned the room then brought his attention back to the person lying on the ground. They weren’t breathing, and he could smell the blood from where he stood. Po gasped as she finally caught up to her party, “Um Morgan? Haru? Is that a... ya know?”

Blu flipped his knife back, ready to stab anything that wanted to pop out and surprise him from the shadows. Cautiously he walked towards what he could now see was a woman. An eastern woman was covered in blood and littered with multiple stab wounds. Was she even breathing? Blu asked himself this while Haru clicked her tongue, wanting nothing more than to rush to the woman’s aid.

However, Blu did not let up. Shoving Haru back as she attempted to go for the fatality, he stomped forward with a rather pissed-off expression and kneeled to get a better look at the woman. She stunk of death; he thought. This was not because of her current state. No, not at all. Whoever she was, it was very clear to Morgan Blu that she had killed many people. At least more than him. Being an ex-soldier, this was a rather disturbing thought. This young woman, only a few inches taller than Po, was indeed the person he was hired to find. But had someone beaten him to her? Why would cultists waste their time with a murderer? If anything, they would have recruited her aid, right? None of this made sense to him.

“What is it, Blu? Is she okay?” Haru asked.

Turning his head slowly Blu looked up at Haru with fear painting his Icey blue hue, “We need to go.”

“What?”

“We need to leave. Right. Now!” Blu shot up and as he did so a blinding light escalated from the woman’s form, forcing the group to shield their eyes for a moment. As their gaze met sight once more, Haru gasped as the woman’s body twitched and snapped. Blu looked to Haru, then back to the mangled carcass as it began picking itself up. Although her neck seemed to be broken, she somehow set her head upright as blood leaked from her mouth and down her chin, painting the floor beneath her dirty feet.

Po leapt forward and pointed her staff at the corpse, straight-faced and ready to rain hell upon her. She had only been in combat a handful of times. But as a mage, it was her duty to both herself and her party to dispel any form of dark magic that may bring harm upon them. Only this wasn’t magic. This was something different. Unseen. Po knew that. She had only heard stories of the dead being reanimated. It was but a myth. A scary story parents would tell their children at night so they would behave. In a world where magic exists, one would think the possibilities would be endless. However, this was not the case. Magic like anything else had its limits, and the reanimation of the dead was all but a legend. Until now, that is.

“S-Stay back! Demon!” Po shouted as she grasped her staff with all her might.

The woman, now standing in poor posture, let her arms lifelessly hang at her sides. Every so often the three could make out the gasping of air and the snapping of broken bones as it tried to reposition itself to appear more human. But as if the grace of speed embodied the evil thing before them, she vanished. Blu shook, almost jumping out of his boots as his eyes quickly scanned the room, darting from one end of it to the other. As he turned to meet the girls of his party, his eyes were met by the woman again who was now brushing her hands through Po’s hair with a sickening grin on her cut-up’s lips. Decrepit fingertips decorated in dirt and spoil tip toed downward to Po’s chest. The stench of urine filled the air as the floor under Po and the monster became soaked. This was after all the perfect opportunity to piss one’s self and Po was still just a child.

“Morgan.” Po pleaded while her body shook with absolute fear, “Morgan, please. Please help me.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as the thing behind her gasped for air, joints and bones cracking with every slight movement.

“Shhhhhhh.” It hissed for silence.

With a swipe of her hand, the woman tore open Po’s chest. It had all happened so fast she hadn’t even had the chance to scream. Before the group knew it Po was on the ground in a pool of her blood while the woman stepped over her and walked towards Haru who was frozen in place unable to comprehend what just happened. Her friend. No. Her sister had just been murdered in front of her so quickly she hadn’t even gotten the chance to throw the first punch. Blu growled with hatred and charged but was quickly disarmed by the woman who had swept her feet under him and sent him to the ground.

Getting on top of him, she smiled with a wild look in her eyes. Only there were no eyes. Just black holes that seemed to go on for an eternity. Blackened blood kissed Blu’s face as the creature snapped its neck closer, “I hear things. Do you hear them too?”. The thing groaned as it took in Blu’s scent. Raising its hand upward it laughed insanely, getting ready to do to him what she had done to the poor little witch who was only trying to protect her friends.

“Oh no, you don’t you crazy bitch!” He shouted this as he wrapped one of his legs around her waist. Using all of his force, he flipped her off of him and went for his knife. Grasping it just in time, he drove it as deeply as he could into its throat hoping that’d be it. But she was sent back, gagging as blood splattered to the floor like spilled milk. It took a step to the side and huffed, ripping the knife out with a carelessness for its wellbeing.

She was already dead; this was the only form of reality that stuck with the fleeing mind of the murderer turned what could only be described as an undead ghoul. Nothing more than a simple flesh wound. A minor annoyance. She looked at the knife now in her hand, then at Blu, then at Haru, and then back to the knife. “Ah shit.” Blu groaned. Launching forward the woman kicked Blu across the face once then again into his chest, flipping herself back off of his weight and landing on her feet. Catching his balance, Blu spit some blood to the ground and put his fists up, “Snap the fuck out of it, Haru! Get her and go! Now! I’ll do what I can here!”

“By the gods, what is that thing!” A group of soldiers stormed into the room with their swords already drawn and ready to face whatever was attacking the party sent by Soma. Blu peered over his shoulder and quickly dismissed them, knowing Soma would do something like this. He was a moron. But a careful one. Unknown to the group, a second group of soldiers was dispatched hours after them to assure things operated as smoothly as possible. But clearly, this was not the case, and as quickly as they appeared to Blu and company’s aid the creature of a woman dashed towards them at an ungodly speed and killed them one by one as they helplessly swung at the shadows while screaming in terror.

* * * * *

“Black?”

“Hm? What is it Aura?”

“Why do they hate us so much? What did we do?”

“Oh, my sweet.” Black frowned and rested her chin on her sister’s head, “They’re just confused. No one is at fault.”

“But they say such mean things.”

“They’re only scared, little one.”

“Why? Did we do something wrong?”

“No, of course not. Now please go to sleep before papa comes home from the Inn.”

“Ok. I love you, Black.”

“I love you too, little Aura. Now close your eyes and dream. I’ll watch over you while you sleep.”