The cultists had already killed multiple civilians before we had even arrived in the room. The surviving townsfolk were understandably terrified. These people aren’t fighters… they don’t have weapons… and these insane people have just started stabbing them indiscriminately… even the children. Gods… this demon has truly twisted the minds of these people if they think that this is in any way right or just.
Fortunately, we had the element of surprise. I was able to slice open the stomach of one of the cultists before they even noticed that we were there. As I did, Chenowith and the hammer guy charged in. Chenowith barged two of the cultists away from the townsfolk with his shield before bringing his sword down on the head of a third. The hammer guy absolutely decimated the skulls of two of the cultists that got in his way.
Chenowith turned and thrust his sword to the chest of the old woman. She didn’t move or even flinch. She just stared him right in the eye and raised one eyebrow.
Priestess: “My my… you were certainly unexpected.”
Chenowith: “Tell your friends to step away from the townsfolk or I drive this sword straight through your heart.”
The remaining cultists all stepped back… they clearly wish to protect their leader.
Dwynfel: “You have to listen to me… she has lied to you… to all of you!”
Cultist 1: “Quiet, vile deceiver!”
Cultist 2: “She has done nothing but care for us and protect us!”
Cultist 1: “Her words are worth a thousand of yours.”
Dwynfel: “She isn’t even human!”
Cultist 3: “Neither are you!”
Dwynfel: “I don’t claim to be!”
Cultist 1: “She is the truest, most pure soul in this world.”
Dwynfel: “Would a true and pure soul command you to brutally massacre innocent people?”
Cultist 3: “These people are not innocent!”
A woman stepped forward from the crowd of civilians… she pointed towards a dead mother and child that lay on the floor.
Woman: “What the hell did they do to deserve that? What did that child do? You are the ones lacking in innocence!”
Chenowith: “Miss, please do not antagonise these people. I would prefer to end this with as little bloodshed as possible.”
Priestess: “I do hate to break it to you, young man. But there will be bloodshed.”
The priestess broke her eye contact with Chenowith and turned her head to me. She spoke softly and gently.
Priestess: “I see that my little pets have slipped from their confinement.”
Dwynfel: “You took something of mine. I need it back.”
Priestess: “Oh, do you now? Alas… I fear if I reach for it to hand it to you, your friend here may very well impale me on his blade.”
Chenowith: “Remove the sword… slowly.”
The priestess reached into her robe and slowly removed my short sword. I have never been so relieved to see that damn thing.
Chenowith: “Now place the sword on the ground and kick it over to him.”
Cultist 2: “My lady, please. Do as they ask. We cannot risk harm coming to you.”
Priestess: “Oh, my dear sweet disciple… harm coming to me is the last thing that you should be worried about.”
She gripped Chenowith’s sword tightly with her free hand and she proceeded to walk forwards… pressing herself onto it. Her disciples watched in horror as the sword plunged through her chest and out of her back. Chenowith was beyond confused. The blood dripped to the floor… but as it pooled on the ground it became apparent to everybody in the room that her blood was not red… but was the darkest shade of black that I have ever seen.
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The priestess showed no sign of being in pain… she didn’t react to the blade being within her. She tilted her neck to one side and it made an audible crack… she circled her head round and the skin seemed to melt from her face. She spat a pair of fake teeth onto the floor and her whole body started to vibrate.
Chenowith tried to pull his sword from her, but it was truly lodged in there. Suddenly a huge set of teeth emerged from the melting skin and clamped down on his head. He screamed as the hammer guy rushed towards him to try to pull him free. He was wrenched from her terrible maw relatively quickly… but the damage had already been done. The entire front half of his skull… it just wasn’t there anymore… you could see what remained of his brain as his body hit the floor.
The hammer guy let out a guttural scream of fury and went to slam his hammer into the deformed monstrosity that had just murdered his friend. As the hammer connected with her head, her neck snapped… but she didn’t collapse to the ground, she started to grow and expand… a large serpent’s tail emerged from the back of her robe… she sprouted four additional arms and her head became that of a large serpent with the mouth of a razor worm.
I don’t know if you are familiar with razor worms… they are very small… slightly larger than the average human finger. Their mouths however… their mouths are the reason for their reputation. Up close it is like looking into a black hole surrounded by teeth. Because of the way that the teeth are positioned within the mouth… it is a sort of spiral… it creates a kind of optical illusion… it looks like the teeth are rotating as the worm moves… it is highly unsettling. One worm has a total of ninety-six teeth. They can shred all of the flesh off a finger and leave nothing but bone in a matter of seconds. You really do not want to fall into a pit of these things.
Now imagine that mouth on a creature that is twice the size of your average human… yeah… this thing is fucking terrifying.
Kiyui: “Lamia…”
Knight 3: “You know what this thing is?”
Kiyui: “Only rumours from when I was little.”
Cultist 3: “My lady… what… I don’t understand…”
Dwynfel: “I told you. She isn’t human!”
Cultist 3: “Lies… you have done this to her… this is some vile spell or trickery!”
The hammer guy backed away from the lamia… he is clearly freaked out… which is completely understandable… as I may have already mentioned… that thing is fucking terrifying.
The lamia turned to the cultist that had just defended her. She spoke to him softly… in the same old woman’s voice that she had always used.
Lamia: “My sweet disciple… your faith in me knows no bounds. You are truly too good for this world. Come to me…”
Dwynfel: “Don’t do it!”
The cultist’s eyes looked as though they would erupt with tears at any second… he was so pleased to be summoned towards her. He opened his arms in a fully submitting gesture and walked forward.
Knight 3: “Get back, you idiot!”
So immense was her disciple’s faith, that the knight’s words fell on deaf ears. The lamia opened her arms… welcoming him. She lowered herself to his height and embraced him with all six of her arms.
Lamia: “Fear not… my most faithful of followers… it shall all be over soon.”
She brought her mouth to his head… slowly… as if to gently kiss his forehead. But such a maw is not made for sweet kisses. Her mouth expanded and proceeded to engulf the entire man. In a second, he was gone. She stood up tall once more and spat his bones onto the floor. The remaining two cultists froze with terror… well… one did… the other fell to the floor and proceeded to vomit. Various children started to cry and the townsfolk started to scream with panic.
Knight 3: “Those rumours of yours say how to kill this thing?”
Kiyui: “Destroy the heart!”
Knight 3: “She already has a bloody sword in her chest!”
Kiyui: “I don’t know, that’s what the story used to say. I can’t remember!”
Knight 3: “Well, remember better!”
Kiyui: “I’m trying!”
Knight 3: “Try harder!”
