Chapter 2: Chaos at Edel Cathedral

The night went on with many explosions and clashing of metals all occurring outside the Edel Cathedral. I hunched up against Charles reading him the story book to keep him distracted. But in my mind, all I could think of was father battling those fiends in the town. As I traced the words of the story book, my finger stopped across the word hero and thought about what father had said a few hours prior.

They can’t be everywhere all at once

My father had said, I was hung up by those words, I didn’t understand right then but now I imagined what if the hero was here right now.

Would it make the current situation better? Would it make all these butterfly feelings go away? Would everyone be at ease if the hero shows up here and saves the day? Where are they right now?

As the train of questions ran through my mind, the cathedral door slammed open where it had just been barricaded from the explosion earlier. The room went silent, what appeared was not any of the guardsmen but something big, monstrous, towered over all the people.

Thomp, thomp, thomp…

“The armiger, they’re here, among this crowd of puny humes,” the gruff bass voice resounded the entire hall. Everyone froze in fear, daring not to make any sudden movement so as not to provoke what was in front of us. The face was that of a person but there were hands covering eyes, on the center of the forehead was a big eye ball, thrice the size of a person. The body was slim, cladded in heavy armor, and we couldn't see its feet due to the ornate robe drawn with the same symbol as the goblin we had faced earlier. Behind the titan figure, stood many goblins and many pig-faced fiends. I read them in my story book, they’re called orcs, short as a dwarf but have the strength of dozens of men.

“Too many to rummage through, but Lord Baphomet says they would be here, that means the course of actions is,” the titan figure paused before a guardsman rushed behind him with a sword stabbed to its back.

“You will die here, you fiend,” the guardsman tightly gripped the sword shakingly. Tears and fear filled his eyes but somehow resolved with determination to kill what was in front of him. The orcs and goblin made no reaction to their leading pack getting stabbed and continued to stand there witnessing the events like it was a play.

“That hurt, it’s not very polite to stab people in the back, bunch of savages, you humes are,” the fiend laughed before turning around unfazed by the sword that rested on its back. It placed its freakish long finger on the guardsman's head before muttering something under its breath. Suddenly, the guardsman's eyes rolled back of his head, agonized by whatever was implanted in his temple before disintegrating into white powder where he stood.

The entire building shook, screams roared in the air, as people got up and ran toward whatever opening to escape the current circumstances.

“Now look what have you done, I was going to take my time going one by one without dirtying this sacred place, such a shame,” the one eyed fiend motioned the fiend troops and pointed up toward the ceiling before making a chopping motion.

“Kill them all, find the bearer,” declared the fiend leader coldly.

Freny engulfed the entire building, the sound of bone shattered and flesh being torn in the air filled with a stench of iron and sweats.

“I need to get out of here, and quickly find my father,” I muttered before running away from the crowds. I tried to avert my eyes from the people being slaughtered, covering my ears from all the screams of people yelling their last breath. My knees were shaking, my heart raced, I couldn’t feel my hand. My internal instinct yelling at my all being to get away from here.

“Hainé!” I turned in the direction of the voice among the chaos, it was Marty, and she was with her son. Charles was beckoning me towards the sewer dutch right behind the fountain statue in the cathedral; apparently he found it while exploring the building prior. I ran towards them leaving my suitcase behind, however, an orc spotted me running and started giving chase. With a huff of air in my lungs, I went full speed towards the sewer opening. Just barely and narrowly slid into it where the orcs couldn’t while Marty closed the gate. I saw the agitated orc swinging its club in an attempt to smash the metal gate, paying it no mind I started running deeper into the sewer.

“Where does this lead, Miss Marty?” I asked the mother.

“I don’t know but better than being in that hall,” replied Marty.

The sewer passageway must be connected to the riverside if it carries the water from the cathedral.

“More importantly, are you feeling well, Hainé, sweetheart?” Marty asked with a concerned look.

“I miss father, it has been many hours since we last heard of him, you don’t think,” I teared up at the thought, Marty kneeled down and grabbed both of my hands.

“It’ll be okay, I have known Rudolf for years, he won’t die from this, and leave you alone, sweetie,” Marty said as she stroked my hair, trying to remove dirt and debris from earlier commotion.

It had been just father and I for many years, the thought of living without him is unimaginable, and I fear for that possibility with this encounter of events. We continued onward through the labyrinth of the sewer, Charles hasn’t said a word but the child seemingly knows his way around.

We came to an opening, two halls went opposite ways but a gate sat in the center of the hall leading outside to the woods. Just when I thought we had found open air, we heard rumbles coming from the woods, and a large fire ball blasted the sewer gate open. I covered my face while Marty shielded her son from the shattered debris and metals. As the smoke cleared, an orc appeared through the clearing alongside two hound like creatures trailing from its hip.

“It must’ve used the hounds to track our scent from the cathedral but how did it know we end up here?” Marty said under her breath.

“Stay back, Charles and Hainé ,” Marty ripped part of her dress, revealing her bare leg with a dagger strapped to her calf. I grabbed Charles hand and dragged him behind a wall where the creatures would not get to us immediately. Marty prepared her battle stance. I had thought she was very calm despite the chaos earlier, but I realized now she had known father somewhere whenever he went out to hunt.

The orc let out a deafening scream in the night, the hound hearing the signal, started lunging at Marty who had her dagger at the ready. She slashed through one hound in mid air, completely cut through from its mouth through its right side stomach. It fell to the ground in one motion, before turning ash. The second hound growled at Marty before diving low trying to bite at her leg to immobilize her. Marty saw its intention from the body language, jumped to the air and drove the short blade right into the center of the hound's forehead, instantly killing it.

I gasped at the sight, I thought Marty was just a civilian but she clearly was able to hold her own in a fight. The orc now agitated, drew a spike mace from its hip and closed in distance in the attempt to swing at Marty.

“What a brute,” Marty looked at the ground where water was still flowing through the sewer. She took a step back, and pointed her hand palm at the tile floor. She muttered under her tone a few words, then a glowing circle appeared on her palm, instantly freezing the water in a path leading to the orc. The creature gasped in surprise at the slippery floor, lost its balance and swung its mace in every direction smashing the ceiling and walls. Marty took a few steps gracefully, and readied her dagger at a specific spot. The orc completely lost its direction, slipped forward and dropped its skull downward right into Marty dagger. It laid on the blade twitching before completely staying motionless.

“Wow,” I awed at the sight of the chaos. It was twice now that I witnessed two battles that occurred before me. I should be scared like any child would but all I had in my mind were amazement. Both father and Marty fight like a hero from the fairytales I read.

Marty cleaned off her dagger of blood and sheathed it back into her scabbard on her leg. She smiled, then motioned Charles and I toward her.

“You darlings okay? Let’s get out of here before more arrives.”