Wickedness Incarnate

“Everyone, behind me,” Avii ordered as he thrust himself back into his armour, quickly activating its crystals in preparation for what was to come.

“Avii, what is it?” Ostave asked as he crawled to the screaming Vivat and pulled her close. “What is that sound?”

“The witch draws near!”

As the suit snapped shut around Avii, sealing him in place, the man felt the power of the MULE course through his body. With every crystal now replaced and his body both rested and fueled by food, the man felt whole. Even though he knew there was no fighting the witch, he was ready to try. Ready to defend his companions long enough to ensure the mission was completed.

“Gods save us!” Vivat cried out as Ostave attempted to wrestle her over to Avii. “Gods save us! Hear my prayer! Hear me, Lord, deliver me from this wickedness.”

But Avii watched as no Gods came to Vivat’s aid. No holy magic filled her staff or gave her courage. Instead, settling into the absence left by the divine, the laughter that surrounded them merely grew louder. And as the screams of the priestess quickened, her failed prayers becoming fewer and farther between, the twisted cackles quieted long enough to hiss.

“Child of divinity,” A sinister voice whispered from the shadows, the words echoing from every direction. “Your prayers fall on deaf ears. For neither God nor Devil holds power in my realm.”

“No!” Vivat screeched as she ripped herself from Ostave’s grasp and pressed her back to the wall. No! It’s impossible! The Gods are everywhere! The Gods are good. They—”

“Heh-heh-hehhh. They are not here, but I am. So allow me to answer your call, child. Allow me to deliver the punishment deserving of those who follow traitorous deities and devils.”

With this, Vivat looked Avii’s way, her terror-stricken face framed by the glow of his suit. She appeared ready to say something to him. A single plea begging to escape her lips. A word that would never be said as, in one moment she had been there and the next she was gone.

The shadows around Vivat reached forward, wrapping their inky tendrils over her body in an instant. With only enough time to release a terrified shriek, she was ripped from the cave, pulled away at such a frightening speed that Avii only caught a glimpse of the priestess as she flew past. The horrified expression on her face as she dug her fingers into the stone floor, grinding them away into smears of blood as she frantically attempted to grab hold of a rock or a crack. Of anything that could save her from the fate that awaited. But Avii knew nothing would stop the witch from getting her prey.

“Vivat!” Ostave cried out as the priestess disappeared into the labyrinth's darkness.

“Ostave, on!” Avii then ordered, approaching the man and pulling him onto his back.

Giving the knight barely a moment to settle in, Avii raced forward into the darkness. The light of his suit could only reach so far, giving him enough time to dodge fallen bodies or low-hanging stones. But it was not enough to keep Vivat in view. She was already gone, leaving only the trail of blood that would also eventually disappear.

Soon, all Avii could do was follow her piercing screams as they echoed down the tunnel before him. As the seconds dragged on to minutes, Vivat’s terror slowly mixed with the twisted, yet joyful cackles of the witch. Her anguished cries reached new peaks with every agonizing moment that she suffered at the hands of the fiend. And though Avii could hear Vivat fighting for her life, he knew that she and her holy magic were no match for the power she struggled against.

Finally realizing there was nothing he could do, Avii slowed his sprint to a stop. There, in the darkness, his heart ached as the sound of Vivat’s cries slowly faded. He listened as the last of her voice gave out. As the last breath passed her lips. Listened until all that was left was the terrible laughter.

Listened until he couldn’t anymore.

“Priestess!” Avii screamed as though his words would be enough to save her. “Witch! Enough! Stop!”

“Heh-heh-heh…” The shadows responded as though a million mouths spoke at once. “Stop? Stop what? I’m already done. Shame too. Such a fragile thing. Those pesky Gods don’t bless their followers like they used to, huh? Here, look for yourself…”

The sound of a wet splatter met Avii’s ears as, before him, a bloodied corpse rolled to his feet and stared its hollow gaze up. There he saw the priestly robes and staff, neither of which touched nor soiled, but still clinging to the remains of Vivat. The woman, whose face was frozen in terror, had already been half consumed. Crawling from mouth and missing eyes, thousands of tiny beetles tore at the fleshy remains of the priestess. In some spots her body had already been consumed down to the bone, while in others, Avii watched in horror as the insects still hungrily ate away.

“V-Vivat?” Ostave whimpered softly before shifting his weight on Avii’s back and screaming. “Vivat!”

“Oh, she can’t hear you, dear.” The shadows twisted above the head of the corpse, revealing a crooked, blood-soaked smile. “You see, she’s dead. But maybe you’ll be more…durable.”

Long, spindly fingers attached to a cracked and blackened hand reached from the shadows for Ostave. Nails like daggers, dripping with blood and ichor stabbed for the man, but Avii reacted before the witch could take hold of her prize. Swinging his body around, he activated the crystal in his glove and reached his grasp out. He took hold of the witch’s grasp, the heat of his gauntlet burning her before she ripped her twisted fingers back into the darkness.

“No!” Avii screamed out. “Begone, witch! You’ve already taken your pound of flesh from us! Leave us be!”

“Mwahahahah!” The cackles erupted from the shadows once more as Avii turned to face them. “A pound of flesh? Is that what you think this is? Is that all you think I am? A monster? Hungry for the flesh of the divine?”

“If it’s not! Then what is it you want?”

The laughs increased. They echoed and twisted, falling out of harmony before becoming a single, horrid cacophony. And then, suddenly, they stopped. The silence that instantly filled the cave was deafening, leaving only the sound of Ostave’s fearful breathing over Avii’s shoulder and the beating of his heart in his ears.

That was, until a presence cradled his side for but a moment. The witch’s lips approached close enough to his ear for him to feel the heat of her breath. A warm air that would chill him to the bone.

“I want,” Her raspy voice whispered. “To be entertained.”

“Avii!” Ostave screamed into his ear and then was gone.

“Ostave!”

Turning with a start, Avii reached his gauntlet back only to feel Ostave’s grip disappear from his grasp. The orc was already gone, consumed by darkness and leaving only his cries echoing out. But Avii wouldn’t allow it. Not again. He had already failed Vivat. Failed to protect her from Sebastian and then the witch. He would not let Ostave go so easily. He would not let Ostave’s child go without seeing his father again.

The ground cracked beneath Avii as he pushed all his power to his feet and charged down the tunnel’s length. With no time to react, he slipped the helmet over his head and barrelled forward at full speed. He trampled bone and armour, crushing it beneath his powerful steps. As low-hanging stone came before him, he did little more than adjust his posture, crashing through rock as though it were paper. Nothing would stop him from reaching his goal. Nothing would stop him from rescuing Ostave.

Then, at the edge of his suit’s light, he saw the orc. Saw him bound by whips of shadow. Bugs were consuming his body as his arms flailed to keep them away from his face. And as he yelled out in agony, his gaze did not look down at the pests hungering for his flesh. Instead, his eyes stared towards the glow of the approaching MULE. And then, the moment Avii was within range, he stretched out his hand.

Avii reached for Ostave, their fingers brushing against each other as he passed through the tunnel’s threshold into a massive cavern. That was when he realized it. Realized that in mere moments the floor would disappear, giving way to a bottomless drop. So, he dove for the orc, his armoured body nearly crushing atop him as he wrapped an arm over top the frail form.

They rolled, tumbling together and over the edge. But at the last moment, Avii reached his hand up and gripped the cliff face. He drove his fingers into stone, locking himself in place as he looked down at the form huddled against him. His bloody body, badly chewed, with half his face shredded by millions of mandibles, but still there. Still alive.

Avii had saved Ostave. And, for the time being, they both still lived.