Hencacount

The suited woman had just left the room and Dahlia had turned to her mother. They looked at each other with concern but for different reasons. Dahlia was concerned over the wellbeing of their saviour against the beasts outside but her mother had a completely different concern.

"Dahlia. What did you do?" she asked in a fearful tone.

The girl looked at her mother, Varme, and realised that she had revealed something she shouldn't have. She opened her mouth and faced her mother directly and clutched her own hands whilst she spoke.

"I did what I needed to save the knights." she affirmed.

"That's not what I meant. When did you learn that… magic?"

"..."

Dahlia thought through how she could explain or lie about what she did. That it was by accident, that it wasn't her it was something else. But she can't. A voice then was heard behind Varme with both of them looking to its source.

"You used dark magic."

It was an old man in a grey robe and an amulet in the shape of a woman kneeling sideways in front of a sun. It was a cleric of the Light. The god of this very chapel in fact and his voice rang out in the room leading to a complete silence as most of the people looked to Varme and Dahlia to see what was happening.

The old cleric continued, "Not just simple dark magic. You used a powerful spell, one only dedicated dark mages can perform."

Dahlia could not force her voice to ring. The looks from the people were a mix of concern and fear, disbelief and interest. She felt an urge creep into her begging for a way out. She thought of her options to talk her way out, the surviving knight from earlier spoke up.

"She had saved me. We wouldn't have been able to slay one of those beasts in time if it wasn't for her power." he supported.

The cleric replied back with a stern tone towards the knight, "But with dark magic? No. The issue is that she seems to be powerful in the art based on what traces I can see pouring off of her."

"My lady could have chosen to run as I and my comrades were torn apart by that beast but she stayed and defended us."

"That is besides the point! Dark magic is the work of the devils. For all we know she could've attracted those beasts here with her power!" he argued.

"Why would our young mistress endanger herself and her people-"

"Because she was corrupted by a devil's tongue!" 

The knight and the cleric continued to argue back and forth, the townsfolk watching their shouting, heads turning like a tennis match as many in the room began to form their own opinion.

"She can't be allowed to stay here! Let alone that she was saved by a strange traveller who could be her cohort!" the cleric accused.

"If you dare to continue to slander our young mistress I'll be forced to shut your mouth for you!" the knight shouted.

"Then silence me! It clearly seems that the Knights of McDernon too are in leagues with dark magic!"

*RAAAAAGGHHH!*

A distant scream is heard echoing through the halls as a screaming roar, similar to the other beasts, rings out before a thud is heard. The chapel was quiet for a moment before a second roar, then a third and a fourth.

The knight speaks up first as he looks to a few townsfolk and motions towards the chapel doors.

"If that traveller was working with the young mistress why would she be killing the beasts instead of letting them kill us?" he posited.

"How do we know they actually are killing the beast?" the cleric angrily suggested. 

"Then would you like to go down and find out?"

Varme shouted out to the room, silencing the two of them.

"Enough! This is not the time to be fighting with each other! Right now we are in a situation where we cannot afford to be divided. What my daughter is capable of shouldn't matter for the moment until we can assure everything is safe."

The cleric stepped back into a corner of the chapel with some of the townsfolk who are closely aligned with the chapel, while the knight made his way to Dr. Steads and had his knee cleaned after he had fallen on the floor and scratched it during the fight.

Varme turned to her daughter and rested her hand on her shoulder.

"Please tell me that you didn't mean to do that. Please." she pleaded.

Dahlia looked away from her mother's eyes. She couldn't lie to her, not even to comfort her.

"Why then. Why and when did you learn this?"

"...It was five years ago." Dahlia admitted, head still turned away.

"Five years? You've known this for five years? Why?"

Her voice was soft and sounded heartbroken at the news of her daughter keeping such an important and dangerous secret from her. She seemed to be going through her mind, trying to remember the last five years and how her daughter had hid it from her for so long, she then seemed to remember something.

"Five years ago.. that was when you started at the academy.. Did someone teach you? Was it tha-"

"No! No.. it wasn't at the academy."

"Then where did you learn this awful magic?" she interrogated.

"It just came to me, like I knew what I was doing from the start."

"Then what about voices? Did a demon talk to you? The devil?!"

"No, it just happened one day and I can't explain why and I.. I don't know. I don't know, I don't know."

Dahlia had started to break a little with her secret now being revealed to her mother, how things are going to be different now it has been revealed; how she will have to face the consequences of using dark magic openly.

"Am.. am I going to be killed?" she stuttered.

Varme's face turned at the words her daughter had said. She looked back at the cleric in the corner, he was speaking with a few of the other townsfolk. She turned to her daughter, grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"You won't, I'll make sure and so will your father." she promised.

Varme hugged her daughter, stroking the back of her hair before she let go of her and walked towards the cleric and his cohorts. Dahlia on the other hand stood there quietly before walking towards the place where the sick and injured were, reaching her father who was still unconscious.

She places her hand on his and kneels over to whisper into his ear.

"I'm sorry. I tried to hide it but I couldn't, mother has found out and now nothing will be the same."

The girl pulled herself back but then, her father, Dylan, groaned as he began to open his eyes.

"Dahlia.. it isn't.. your fault." he said hoarsely. 

Dahlia watched her father open his eyes and began talking to her, she quickly reached for his hand and held it.

"But it is. I could've just ignored it like you said but.. I couldn't. It was too much."

"That's fine. I've seen you fight it, that's what matters. I'm sure we can convince them, just stay safe in the meantime." he held her hand.

Dahlia was nodding along to her father's comfort but she knows he knows that they are all lies to comfort her, maybe the parts about him trying to convince them are true, but succeeding? Even new-borns who show the potential for dark magic are drowned in fountains to avoid the danger and cursed power of dark magic.

"Thank you father. I will do my best."

Dahlia stood up and let her father be while she went over to the doctor and informed her of her father's awakening. She then walked over to the chapel door where she could hear two more screeches.

The suited woman was running around the castle, slaying beasts one after another when she could only barely slay one with the sacrifice of her own knights. She cringed at her own weakness and inability to, even with her dark magic, save everyone and now she can't even save herself. Her life is over, her father will likely die trying to save her and her mother could lose her nobility and be left alone, widowed, childless and disgraced all because she isn't strong enough to defend herself.

She looked out of the chapel into the dark hallway which stretches into the dark, the creeping darkness. Maybe she should gain the aid of something. Maybe it could allow her to save her family.. Maybe-

Looking into the darkness she could see a form move through it. A silhouette of a human. They walk towards Dahlia and though they appear to meld with the darkness, they appear darker than that. Darker than dark. Blacker than black. They reach forth and hold Dahlia's head in their hands as the world goes darker and her focus is on the dark human's lips as they mouth out.

Don't worry. Your guardian angel is always here.

"DAHLIA!" Varme screams.

The darkness snaps away as Dahlia is tackled by the knight when a set of jaws come through the darkness and snap shut, narrowly avoiding both her and the knight. Dahlia crashed onto the floor, the knight lying next to her. She watches the jaw fully push out of the dark hallway to show another of the beasts, with wrinkled skin and dry grey hair that dangled off its head.

When the creature stretched its head in, its eyes scanned the room and tasted the air, finding fear. But what it focuses on is not the people but the girl. It lowers its head and opens its jaw as it slinks towards Dahlia, intending to scoop her up and swallow her whole.

It prepared to lunge but before it could a hand grabbed it by its lower jaw and began to pull it away from Dahlia as she sees the suited woman jam her spraying contraption into the creatures mouth and sprays, causing it to recoil back into the hallway and begin thrashing around, damaging the walls of the castle.

"Get inside!" the suited woman shouted and she began to throw the chapel doors closed.

Dahlia got up and helped the knight as they rushed to the back of the chapel whilst the suited woman shut the doors.

"Two left but still haven't found the queen mite... They should be coming here soon..."

She took off her backpack and began rooting through it for more chemicals.

"No.. no.. mmm. Does anyone have any perfume? No? No."

Dahlia steps up to the woman and says, "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes. There is. I'm out of stuff to use. Well except for the ball there you have."

"Then here you should take it."

"No, you still need it. I can still do it without it I think but I need you to help."

"How?"

The woman takes out a small metal cylinder and puts her backpack back on.

"I need you to do that thing you did again. The tentacles."

Dahlia begins to stutter when she responds, "I can't. I'm already in trouble for using it once and I'm still feeling sick from the last time."

"Well, that's going to be an issue. I'll just try..."

She proceeds to turn back to the door and begins to walk around, thinking before she seems to come to a conclusion.

"Alright, hysterical strength it is!" she proudly exclaimed.

*THUD*

The door shakes as something audibly hits against it much like the front door to the castle downstairs. The suited woman turns to face the door, the metal cylinder in her hand whilst the door begins to crack and snap to reveal the long arms of the beast.

"Oh, I forgot to mention! You asked me what my name was, yes?"

Dahlia stands in front of her people as the surviving knight and some of the wounded knights force themselves to stand in front of her in a wall.

"Why yes you did. Well! My name is Al-"

*CRAASSHH!*

The roof of the chapel caves in as a false troglodyte begins to dive in through the roof for Dahlia. As it did the door shattered and the other troglodyte charged forth and dove for the suited woman. Whilst it did, the suited woman held her ground and grabbed the incoming beast's open jaws as they tried to slam shut on her. She was stuck though, this creature will likely go for the people to force her to leave Dahlia defenceless. The other creature hits the ground and pushes itself towards her, mouth agape like a whale swallowing shrimp.

The wooden boards of the chapel crunch and snap, the creature sliding along the floor towards her and her knights. The knights readied, a few swords for some and iron bars for others but unlike them who are trained soldiers, Dahlia is stunned at the sight of the beast seemingly hellbent on killing her and its murderous lust sinking into her heart.

The surviving knight strikes first with his sword, aiming for its left eye and succeeds, thrusting in and twisting. The beast screeches but despite the pain it barrels forth, determined for Dahlia. The other knights proceed to slice into the other eye but aren't as precise and end with their blades cracking and sparking off of the beast's skin.

"DAHLIA!" Varme shouts behind her whilst the beast shoves past the rest of the knights and makes its way to Dahlia, ready to swallow her whole...

*STRIKE*

*RAAAAGGGHH!*

A dagger sticks out of the creature's right eye as it is tackled to the right by Dahlia's father, driving the dagger deeper. He continues to push and shoves the creature slightly off. He mounts the beast by its neck and, using his remaining arm, digs into the left eye of the creature causing it to veer off path and begin to throw its head around wildly to try and get him off.

He holds on but after a few moments of thrashing he is thrown over and crashes into one of the glass windows, cracking it as he falls onto the ground, coughing and struggling to breathe. Dahlia sees her father lying on the ground, remembering the time her father collapsed in front of her on the dirt after the bear attack, helpless to his pain, and she feels a growing rage. The darkness begins to pool along her back once more and wrestling free are inky black tentacles that she signs to all surround the beast leaving it is restrained in place. The beast groans and moans trying to wrestle free but is then moved by tentacles as they position it's head towards Dahlia.

"You will not hurt anyone, anymore!" she yells.

As she conjures more tentacles they rush into the beast's eye sockets rooting around inside prying and prodding, their movements bulging under the creatures flabby pale flesh. She can feel the tentacles inside like they were her own fingers and the pain in them as thousands of tiny bites are felt all along them but she knows from the pain that there is one place they least want her to go, the heart. And so, the tentacles squirm into every crevice of the creature's insides, causing it's skin to expand, it's stomach to pulse and the beast, unable to even scream, gurgles when she pries the heart open and inside wraps around a small hard object and thrusts it out of the beasts back, holding it before Dahlia.

It was a small insectoid creature, crawling and squirming in the tentacle's grasp. Dahlia took the ball from earlier and pushed its button, spraying the creature with the same misty liquid as before causing it to screech meekly before curling up.

As the tentacles begin to recoil into her back, Dahlia's exhaustion is clear as she heaves as if she ran a marathon. Her eyes and nose drip black water that splatters on the floor whilst she slouches but doesn't fall. The townsfolk behind her stand in awe and fear but it is short lived as a loud bang rings out near the door of the chapel.

*BOOM*

The explosion was muffled but the sounds of splatter, like a slap of water on stone, when the other beast fell, its back completely blown outwards as something exploded inside of it. Climbing out of its mess is the suited woman who stands on top of the creature, covered in its innards and soot marks on her white outfit.

"Ah. There!" she looks towards Dahlia and notices the scene, "See? Much simpler when you use it."

Dahlia stumbles, her head pulsing with every breath, her mother rushed up to her and catched her before she fell.

"Dahlia are you ok? Are you hurt? Oh Lanai! There's black stuff coming from your eyes! Dr. Steads! My husband and daughter!"

The doctor was already over with Dylan. He is conscious and is helped up by a few of the knights whilst the doctor then rushes over to Dahlia and begins to frantically bombard her with questions.

"Young mistress, are you hurt anywhere? Tell me where the pain is." she asks whilst looking over her.

Dahlia cannot hear it though, her mind feels like it's going to melt and she can feel not just the emotions of every person in the room but.. another on the roof.

"It's not over!" Dahlia spits out.

Everyone looks up at the hole in the roof and leaping down is a large white invertebrate, a termite of some kind, that immediately goes for Dahlia.

~Saltu!~ a thought rings out in everyone's minds.

Suddenly the suited woman appears in front of Dahlia in a blur and grabs the mite by its head, her hand completely around it. The creature struggles violently, striking the woman over and over but fails to even scratch her glass helmet. A mechanical sound is heard from her head when she turns.

"So before I was rudely interrupted. I present myself to you..." her tone rises.

She faces Dahlia, her helmet's visor is down, showing her face. Varme's face was written with confusion, the people behind were freaked out and Dahlia could only be bewildered at what she was seeing.

"..Occultist, genius mechanic, researcher and master of psionics.."

Her pupils were yellow and bright, her skin smooth and shiny with a deep ocean blue hue. She had no eyebrows or hair but instead had two navy stalks growing out the sides of her head, her nose was flat and all in all looked more like a newt or an axolotl.

"..Alice Karnac. Founder and leader of Hencacount! And you are invited to join us!"

Dahlia takes in the sight of the suited woman, now Alice, and collapses falling unconscious.