The Return pt.21
Room by room by room, the two went slaughtering all they came across. Blood flowed after them from every room they exited, staining the once beautiful mosaic floors. This continued until they came to a door, where Lucien noted “There is some competent magic on this door and in this room.”
Without needing to think, Morrigan immediately told him “It’s likely the local Head Priest of Syver’s cult. He’s important to the duke’s power here. While it pains me to admit, he does have skill in healing magics. For a bastard.”
This information intrigued Lucien, causing him to raise an eyebrow as his eyes showed a spark of interest. He had never before met a priest of Salver he liked and found them to always to be very reminiscent of their trickster god. “It changes nothing. We will pay him a visit.” In the next moment the door splintered into shrapnel as Lucien’s armored boot smashed into it, showering the room with large wooden shards and splinters.
Walking into the room with Morrigan directly behind him, Lucien noticed a half circle of wood shards and splinters lying several steps from an older man who could be mistaken for a priest. The screams of two women were silenced by the priest’s voice “Fret not you two. The magic that my god Syver has granted me shall shield us from all harm. We will live this day if you stay by me.”
Contemptuous mocking and arrogant laughter erupted from Lucien as he threw his head back. Even Morrigan’s face held a cruel, mocking smile as she lightly laughed along with her lord.
That laughter would end abruptly, “Morrigan end the women’s fear.”
Morrigan smiled as she stared into the women’s eyes and walked behind Lucien, disappearing into his shadow, “As you wish my lord. Calimbra Styn.”
“Where did she go?” Fear and disbelief had come into the priest’s voice as he spoke.
“You will soon see priest.”
As Lucien said those words, he extended his left arm out to his side allowing his shadow to connect to the others, feeling Morrigan leave his shadow. Petor and the two women he protected looked around for Morrigan but could not find her.
“What are you planning? My barrier cannot be penetrated by the likes of you or her. Syver’s blessings protect us.”
A cruel smile came over Lucien’s face, “We will see about that priest.”
Gasping for breath was heard from behind the priest as one of the women felt cold steel pierce into her back just above her hips. The blade then tore through her as Morrigan jerked it upwards. Removing the dagger from the first woman, Morrigan gracefully spun over to the other woman and drove the second dagger between her ribs.
“It’s done my lord,” was all Morrigan said before disappearing into the shadows and reappearing behind Lucien.
“H-how? H-how is that possible? That looked like Sha’nagurath’s powers.”
“Syver’s blessings are weak like him and no match for real magics, priest.”
“It was the Shadow Goddess’s power. Her magics are great and plentiful.”
Morrigan’s addition to Lucien’s contemptuous statement sent fear coursing through the priest. The revelation that he was not untouchable was almost too much for him. But he did his best to harden himself as he was angered by their and shouted up to Lucien “Silence you. One should not mock the god the Fifth Heaven Ami’yer like that; especially servants of a demon like Sha’nagurath. His blessings and magics are as powerful and holy as his scorn. You shall see when you burn in his holy light.”
Lucien stepped into the pile of wood splinters around the priest as he looked down upon him “Why would Syver’s scorn worry a child of Moriena?”
“Ha. You’re no child of Moriena. You’re not deformed like his children. You must be trying to trick me like all servants of that witch.”
Cold was what Lucien’s face became. The disdain shown towards Sha’nagurath was a slight annoyance, as was being called a servant of hers. No Lucien’s fury was stoked by something else.
“Those deformed bastards in the nasfare are not children of Moriena. They are Narsees’s foolish attempt at mockery of us upír, the real children of Moriena. They are abominations and weak like you. Do not ever compare us again. Once you reach that trickster.”
Placing his hand against the magic barrier Petor had erected, Lucien listened as the priest mocked him through his fear “You fool. You can’t break through this barrier. You’d be better letting your little wench handle it for you.”
All Lucien did was smile as he begin to exert force onto the barrier with his hand, “I will show you true strength, priest. Regret your lack of strength and decision to serve Syver in the afterlife.”
Sounds of a shattering barrier filled the room as Head Priest Petor’s eyes went wide in surprise and fear “How, you monster?”. The scepter denoting his rank of head priest, became the instrument of his impalement as Morrigan would turn the priest’s fingers into a crown upon his bald head using the wood splinters as nails.
With this new macabre monument built, the two continued on slaughtering their way through the building as they made their way towards their next victim.
Entering the large indoor baths Lucien noticed the contraption built into the floor meant to hold people in chains down. He did not have to ask to know Morrigan had experienced it before. But as his eyes looked over to her, they were drawn towards what she was staring at with malice, a well-dressed noble woman lying on the warm damp stone floor.
As they approached the woman it became apparent that she had slipped on the stone floor and smashed her head into it, rendering her unconscious. And with the way Morrigan continued staring at the unconscious woman, Lucien knew she must have done something truly awful.
“Who is she?”
“She’s some noble woman but I don’t know her name. Don’t care to either. She was the one to bring the horses for that swine to slaughter.”
There was poison in Morrigan’s voice as she spoke, and Lucien understood why. This noble woman would not receive mercy, she would die this day but how she died Lucien had an idea.
Walking up to the edge of the bath, Lucien told Morrigan “Toss her into the bath. See if it wakes our noble here.” Quickly she followed through with the order and just as quickly the noble woman came out of the water gasping for air as her body poured water.
Before the woman could say a single word, she heard the most handsome voice speak from behind her “It seems you are worthy of divine punishment.”
Turning quickly, she saw the creature Lucien standing there in his dark armor, towering over anyone her mind could think of. And next to him was a terrifying Morrigan twirling daggers between her fingers. Fear filled her as she had hoped to get away from this towering monster but now, she knew she was going to die. She just hoped it would not be too painful.
“Please don’t kill me. I’ll do anything. I can give you anything.”
Despite knowing her death was imminent, the noble woman was still going to attempt to survive. But Lucien answered quietly by shaking his head confirming her death was here. Stopping Morrigan from speaking out, Lucien spoke as his loyal servant lowered er head in submission “I will not kill you.” Relief did not come to the woman as she quickly looked towards Morrigan. Being killed by the creature was more preferable but before she could speak, Lucien nodded his head towards Morrigan.
Disbelief came to the noble woman, but before she could say or do anything, Morrigan was atop her, holding her beneath the surface of the bath’s water until she was dead.
“It’s done my lord.”
Lucien quietly nodded his head as he watched his servant walk to the edge of the bath and take up one of her daggers. He continued to silently watch as she cut her hair back down to her favored shoulder length with the dagger, leaving the removed length in the bath. She could no longer stand having her hair be long.
“I’ll have Talia fix it when we get home.”
After she climbed out of the bath, Lucien turned and walked towards the door opposite where they entered. And Morrigan quietly followed behind him, twirling her daggers between her fingers once more. It was not long before many more would be slaughtered in quick succession.
With Lucien looking around the hallway they found themselves in, Morrigan takes the time to thank him for rescuing her. Following a quick nod of his head Morrigan asked “What of my father?”
Not wanting to give her a false hope, Lucien quickly answered “When I left, I left him in the care of the others, though he was already at death’s door. He is already dead Morrigan. I am sorry. Truly it is a great loss.”
Tears come to her eyes, but she forces the cries to stop in her throat. Now was not the time for grief, there would be time for that when they were safe inside the walls of Syrndharas. Until then she would steel herself.
It was now, with her mind once more under control, that Morrigan remembered that her emaciated state was only covered by rags. With embarrassment filling her voice, she asks “My lord, can we do something about my current state?”
Having himself been blinded by his own blood lust and want for vengeance, Lucien was forcefully pulled back into control of himself. Before he can speak the words, “What do you mean,” Lucien looks over to Morrigan and realizes what was meant as his breath temporarily catches in his throat at the sight of her perfect beauty that still shown through her emaciation and the rags.
“Take whatever clothes you want from here. They no longer need them.”
Morrigan can only agree with her lord after clicking her tongue. She knows what the styles of clothes here are and they do not fit her Dharan sensibilities. But she would have to make do until they return home.
