Scourge: A Shadow Beckons

I had just finished raking the face off one of the warriors with my fu tao when a foreboding darkness emanated from inside the room. Its source eluded my immediate perception, but its proximity was undeniable. Trapped amidst a swarm of warriors and lifeless walkers, a single lapse in focus could spell my demise in seconds.

"I sense sorcery! Can anyone stop the necromancer?" My voice pierced through the chaotic fray.

Osei's urgent response resonated, "I sense it too, sister. The circle is glowing! We must dispel the ritual!"

Martin's impulsive charge disrupted the urgency. "Let's just kill the necromancers! Indo didn't get them all with his fragmentation," he declared, bulldozing through anything in his path. My attention, however, was consumed by the immediate threats—two Wights and a Revenant. Even a low-grade demon posed a grave threat if underestimated, and here were three.

Both Wights lunged at me with a feline grace, moving on all fours with a speed beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. Yet, I didn't need to match their agility; I needed to maintain focus. I readied my fu tao and assumed a stance, knowing the beasts would have to close in for an attack.

The first Wight approached with a claw, parried by my left hook sword, while my right one surged forward, its bladed guard striking the creature's face. Although the blessed handguard embedded into its visage, the Wight managed to recoil, sustaining minor cuts and burns. Simultaneously, the second Wight lunged, leaving a shallow scratch on my clothing, my evasive prowess keeping me from harm.

Both of my fu tao rose in a swift upward swing—one cleaving the right arm off, the other leaving a deep gash in its rib. As it wailed in agony, I pivoted the sword that severed its arm and beheaded it in a fluid motion.

A bone-chilling aura emanated from the mummified Revenant, its icy grip clasping my chest as though seeking to drain the very life from within. Drawing upon my training to resist such demonic assaults, I shut my eyes, concentrating my chi to dispel the malevolent influence. As my eyes reopened, the Wight loomed merely a meter away, ready to strike and rend my vision. Swiftly, I shifted my head to the side, raising one of my fu tao to parry its claw while the other traced a lethal path across the back of its knees. The strike destabilized the demonic creature, forcing it to one knee, vulnerable to a decisive blow.

Yet, the Revenant, its yin aura more potent than the Wights, remained active. Though still categorized as a low-grade demon, it trod on the threshold of mid-grade. Simultaneously, a surge of powerful yin energy emanated from the summoning circle, and a horde of shambling corpses and armored skeletons converged menacingly in my direction. Entrusting Martin and Osei with the task of handling the occult circle, I focused on the immediate peril, acutely aware that our survival hung in the balance.

The dispatch of the lesser undead proved relatively straightforward; a single explosive dismantled them. However, the Revenant, shielded from the explosive aftermath, harnessed its yin energy to draw me closer. Anchoring myself with my fu tao, I channeled my yang energy to the blades, anticipating the opportune moment. Recognizing the futility of its efforts, the Revenant released a noxious mist from its decaying maw.

Hindered by the lingering mist, I executed a somersault backward, seizing a lantern from a fallen warrior, and hurled it at the demon. The impact of the lantern on the gas cloud not only dealt moderate damage but also provided the opening I needed. Closing in with my swords, I unleashed an unrelenting onslaught of cuts, momentarily lost in my determination to vanquish the Revenant. Regrettably, in my intense focus on the undead menace, I failed to discern the looming threat of the approaching Shadow.

A spectral hand, ethereal fingers twisted in otherworldly torment, pierced through my chest. The sensation was an icy theft of breath, each gasp yielding nothing but the oppressive weight of impending doom. The heaviness closed in on my eyes, blood cascading from my mouth like a grisly fountain. In that desperate moment, life unfolded in rapid succession, a fleeting panorama of moments that seemed to slip away like grains of sand through clenched fists.

As death loomed, the promise of heaven beckoned with a whisper of solace. The Lord became my sanctuary in the face of encroaching darkness. Osei and Martin's urgent shouts resonated from a distance, their words lost in the swirling haze of impending oblivion. Then, an inexorable descent into nothingness—a plunge into an abyss of unfathomable darkness, where the boundary between existence and void blurred into a spectral dance of eternity.

I opened my eyes to a darkness that defied any heavenly expectation. The surroundings were an enigma, distant from the ritual room's familiarity. The once-piercing pain in my chest had dissolved, replaced by a lingering weariness. Slowly, I sat up, emitting a groan as my body protested the movement.

A voice, Senior Brother Osei's, reached my ears, altered to a grimmer tone. He approached with cautious quietness. "I'm relieved you're okay, but survival demands vigilance," he whispered, his words blending concern with urgency. His hands rested on me, sharing the reassuring warmth of his yang chi.

"I'll brief you, but for now, essentials only. Viknesh summoned a fiend from the depths of hell. It bested my attempts at dispelling, and Martin pursued the necromancer, leaving us separated. I can't ascertain the fate of either him or Indo. Worse, my holy stone is temporarily drained, and I used yours to heal you. We tread cautiously; the devil conceals its presence," Osei divulged, his voice a steady guide in the oppressive darkness.

Placing my trust in Osei's experience, I nodded. "Lead the way."

In the shadow-laden path we traversed, discretion cloaked our every step, a dance of yin chi concealing us from the demonic gaze. Yet, even in our trained silence, awareness clung to us—a realization that to a fiend of such caliber, we were far from invisible. I maintained a subtle grip on Osei, a tactile reassurance amid the ominous obscurity. Losing him would be a dire misstep.

Despite my rigorous training, a ripple of nerves unsettled me. Osei's calm demeanor amid the encroaching threat was remarkable. If he harbored any unease, he concealed it seamlessly. The contrast in composure between a seasoned veteran and myself was great. I was accustomed to darkness as an ally, our training honing our ability to navigate and combat in obscurity. It gave us an advantage over ordinary humans and equated us with races like Elves and Drokkar. Our expertise was in banishing demons and undead—this, however, surpassed any prior encounter.

Amidst the haunting symphony of groans from soulless bodies and the putrid scent of decaying flesh, I whispered to Osei, "We must find Indo and Martin."

He responded with a somber truth, "If they could be found, they're likely dead. The fiend would have tracked them. We must trust in our brothers and have faith the Lord will deliver them from this hell, reuniting us in this life."

Though a logical pang of discomfort tugged at me, I acknowledged the wisdom in his words. In a pragmatic sense, it was wiser for Indo and Martin to remain concealed, beyond the devil's reach. From a faithful perspective, we entrusted our safety to God. Pressing forward, we ventured in what I assumed was the direction of the exit, avoiding unnecessary questions about our course from Osei. Any stray walkers met their end from our crosses, which doubled as rondel daggers.

We crept through the shadows, the passage of time distorted in the oppressive darkness. Osei abruptly halted me.

"Do you hear that?" he asked softly. I listened intently and heard nothing. I was about to open my mouth, but then I realized I heard NOTHING. This whole time, you could hear the dead moving about, moaning in agony, just asking to be laid to rest. But right now, there was nothing.

"No dead here, or they're permanently at rest. A brother passed through," I conjectured.

Osei, undeterred, produced a faint glow from his runestone. It was a calculated risk, and if he deemed it necessary, I couldn't contest. The dim light revealed a scene of conflict as he examined the floor. Piles of bones and Wights suggested a recent skirmish. Blunt force had left its mark, accompanied by puncture wounds—distinct from Martin's war hammer or lucerne.

"Brother Vescaro," Osei answered as if divining my thoughts. "He must've reckoned the morning star to be more effective in these confined spaces, while we chose the dagger."

"Could he still be alive? Can we follow his trail?" I inquired, aware that Inquisitors seldom left tracks, but urgency might lead to an oversight.

"Not his tracks," Osei mumbled, "but the little one is not as adept." He pointed to tiny footprints marked by small blood stains. The chase was on.

Surprisingly, no monsters lingered along his path. Revenants, Ghouls, and Wights—all fell before him. The little one, as Osei called him, displayed remarkable resilience and speed. Suddenly, a loud noise erupted, akin to a collapsing wall. Osei swiftly extinguished his light.

"Stay still, hold your breath, and lie low," the seasoned Inquisitor instructed. He flattened himself against the ground, and I followed suit. The vibrant clank of metal grew louder—an armored colossus approaching. The steps ceased, leaving an ominous silence. Unsure of its actions, I focused on suppressing my breath and heartbeat, uncertain of its auditory acuity. Then, it resumed its course, moving towards Indo's trail. Lifting my head, I found Osei still prone, a testament to the formidable foe who stood before us. We waited, minutes stretching into eternities before Osei cautiously rose.

"We have to stop it," I urged, my concern for Indo's safety paramount.

"How do you propose we do that with our magic reserves depleted? And have you considered the source of that loud noise?" Osei countered.

"It was the fiend," I affirmed, anxiety coursing through my veins.

"But what was it doing? Did it just walk through a wall? While not impossible, I believe it was fighting. We should see if it turned against Viknesh, or perhaps…"

Brother Indo. My eyes widened, and I hurried down the corridor the fiend had traversed. We moved swiftly, minimizing noise as we advanced. There, we discovered a collapsed sandstone wall and heard a feeble voice singing.

"Lord prepare me… to be a sanctuary…"

As we approached, legs became visible beneath the rubble. Though I couldn't see him, I knew it was Brother Martin. For a moment, I felt relief. Indo was safe. Yet, a deep despair overwhelmed me, as it felt like a great sin to be relieved when another of my brothers had been injured instead. I rushed in to liberate him.

"Pure and holy… tried and…"

He coughed weakly. "True…"

We unearthed enough to reveal his face. "Brother, where is your healing stone?" Osei inquired.

Martin shook his head and continued to pray. "With thanksgiving…"

A single tear escaped his eye, and sorrow enveloped me. It wasn't merely because he was dying—we were all bound for that fate. Yet, he had a family, and though the Church would ensure their care, his children would grow up without a father.

"I'll be a living," Osei began to sing. Unable to contain it, tears streamed down my face as I joined in, holding his hand in mine.

"Sanctuary, for you. Lord prepare me, to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and…"

His grasp grew weak, his arm fell limb, and that was it. Martin's eyes remained lifeless, akin to the zombies we had vanquished throughout the day. Osei closed his eyes with his fingers.

"He is with God now," Osei said. Brother Osei was right. Martin may have resembled the soulless corpses that filled these halls, but the difference was that he was saved. This brought some peace of mind. Osei rose to his feet.

"Come, we must..." At that moment, there was the sound of an immense explosion. Not one like our small, handheld grenades. This was something exponentially more massive and potent. It emanated from a massive source of chi, but not the fiend.

"What was that?" I questioned, not fully expecting an answer from Osei.

"The Arch Magus," he said with complete confidence. "Let's go."