Heart of a Monster

Rain continued to assault the windows of the church as a bolt of lightning briefly illuminated the midnight countryside. Explosive thunder boomed all around the old worship hall as the storm showed no signs of letting up. From the outside, the building seemed for all the world like an average place of religious gathering. One might even think it inviting in the abysmal weather given the front door to the church was slightly cracked. A modest amount of light could be seen escaping outside from this door that had been carelessly left ajar.

Slowly opening the door revealed an unimaginable and disgusting sight, however. The main worship hall was well lit by several candles that had been neatly spaced out on the walls. But the light gave visibility to bizarre and disturbing scenery. Wooden pews had been smashed into pieces and the broken parts thrown about the room. Paint on the wooden walls could be seen peeling away in multiple places throughout the room. Many theological and religious amenities had been tossed about the area surrounding the altar at the front of the room. While these observations only made the room look like the church was run down and abandoned, it was the otherworldly and monstrous looking, flesh-like vines that snaked their way around the floor, walls, and ceiling that made the church look like a considerably less inviting place of worship.

Disgusting vines covered nearly every surface within the room. Not only did these vines produce a repugnant odor but they seemed to ooze a deep crimson colored liquid. This liquid had begun pooling in several places on the floor. Most unnerving about these vines was upon closer inspection, they could be seen pulsing. It was as if the vines were a living creature, breathing and moving through the decrepit room.

The only clear surface in the church was the altar itself. However, the clear space on the altar was quickly appropriated by an unwilling Magdalene as the beast formerly known as Raltor forcefully slammed her body onto the platform. Still ensnared by one of his disgusting and blood-drenched arm tentacles, all Magdalene could do was catch her breath and squirm futilely. A deep, guttural laughter emanated from the beast that kept her captive.

“Cease this wasted struggling, fool. I’ve work to do and I won’t be allowing you to go free now,” the monster ordered. Magdalene, however, refused to obey the command and continued to attempt to wiggle free from the arm that prevented her escape.

“W-what is going on?! What are you?! What happened to Pastor Raltor?!” Magdalene cried as the beast used its other tentacle-like appendages to smear blood in a peculiar pattern around the altar. Tentacles binding her began to tighten their grasp, causing Magdalene a fair deal of pain.

“I haven’t the patience for your asinine questioning. But I do relish the delicious taste of one’s fear. Just know I will be taking your heart soon,” the beast responded. Magdalene’s eyes widened as she heard the monster’s objective. It was going to take her heart from her?

“T-take my heart?! W-what does that mean?!” Magdalene continued to inquire in a panic. Her dread and misery seemed to be the creature’s greatest delight as it continued to deeply laugh at the girl.

“What delicious irony: all this time you’ve thought to be under the tutelage of that old goat, entirely unaware of my true intentions. You’ve harbored a deep hatred in your heart for so long and I have sought to fan the flames of that powerful fury until your wrath was perfected. You disappoint me in being unable to realize your potential by not killing that miserable and gullible wretch; I truly thought you would be ready by now,” the monster began to explain. “Regardless, your wrath is far more powerful than that of this foolish preacher’s. It will take time to find another with more compatibility than you and I will harness your hate for my own gain. Now the time is right; no one will interfere. You will make me a fine vessel…”

Tightening its grip on Magdalene again, the girl felt the air being squeezed out of her. Her arms were painfully pressed into her sides to the point that she thought bones were about to start breaking. Gasping for air, Magdalene managed one last cry for help in the form of another terrified scream. Like the previous attempts, the scream was simply met with more guttural laughter from the beast that bound her in place. Laying upon the altar against her will, Magdalene’s mouth was covered by another tentacle as the remaining two were raised into the air over the monstrous form they were attached to.

“Scream and beg all you want. No one is coming to save you and nothing will stop me from gaining your wrath,” the beast spoke as it began to invoke some kind of ritual. A bulb of unnatural energy began to form in the air between the two tentacles that had been raised to the air. The bulb was glowing an eerie shade of red; streaks of magic discharge were constantly being given off by the glowing bulb over the monster’s body.

Magdalene, now unable to even scream, could only watch as the horrific creature unfolded its demonic body. With Raltor’s head now folded backwards and facing the open door to the church, Magdalene could see down the monster’s unholy maw. Within she could see the jagged bones that had been forced to tear through muscle and flesh in a random arrangement. These bones appeared to be teeth for the creature. Beyond the bone-teeth, Magdalene also observed Raltor’s lungs and heart. Although the lungs did not seem to move, the heart was still beating at an unusually fast pace.

Deeper within the dark cavity that had been horribly distorted due to the monster’s influence, Magdalene could make out something very dark in color. It was no organ, at least none she was aware of, and it seemed to roll around inside the maw. Magdalene’s eyes grew wide when she saw the mass within the creature’s mouth opened a blood red eye of its own. Her muffled screams were all but snuffed out by the rain hitting the windows and the boom of thunder outside.

“Now then, give to me your sinning heart, girl,” the unholy abomination shouted, the command echoing throughout the room. Magdalene’s eyes filled with tears as she continued with her muffled screaming. The beast began laughing again as the tentacles charging the magic orb overhead began descending upon Magdalene. Unable to escape, Magdalene shut her eyes tight as she awaited whatever was to come next. However, unexpectedly, she felt something warm lightly splash onto her face as the beast let loose a howl unlike anything she had ever heard.

Opening her eyes, Magdalene was shocked to see that her prayers for salvation had been answered, just not how she had expected. Behind the monster stood Aridean, with a fearsome scowl on her face. Aridean was holding the hilt of a dagger, the same one that Magdalene had stabbed her with, and had thrust the blade into the back of creature so that the blade was now protruding through the right lung within the maw. Specks of blood from the attack had made their way onto Magdalene’s face.

“AUGH! You dare interfere?!” Came the furious monster that had lost its focus. The magical bulb over its head quickly dissipated into thin air, much to the fiend’s obvious frustration. Roaring, the aggressively hostile creature quickly swung its free tentacles around. Unable to move quickly due to her injured leg, Aridean was hit by the unexpectedly forceful blow and sent flying into a nearby broken pew. The minotaur struggled to stand back up as the air had been entirely taken out of her from the attack.

“RGH! How is this possible?! Pain?! From the likes of you?! What the hell are you?!” the unspeakable horror from beyond ironically demanded of Aridean as she slowly got back on her hooves. “No matter. I already told you, I’m saving you as a delicious treat after my vessel is complete. But I suppose I’ll just have to tenderize you first!”

Having only just gotten back up, Aridean was unprepared for the beast’s sudden charge. Even if she had been prepared, she was unarmed as the knife she initiated her attack with was still lodged in the creature and she had left her axe back at the inn. All the defenseless minotaur could do was shield herself with her hands as the tentacles came back for another vicious blow. This one was particularly powerful and sent her off her hooves and directly through the door to the church.

Aridean continued to fly backwards after the previous strike into the rainy night, beyond the reach of the candlelight in the church. Her body landing and sliding along the dirt outside could only just be heard as the mighty rain continued to pour around her. Laughter emanated from within the church she had just been ejected from, as did a horrified cry for help from Magdalene.

Ugh… owwww… got to get up. C’mon, get up. Don’t pass out now… Aridean thought to herself, attempting to fire herself up. Unfortunately, her vision was beginning to darken and she was having a difficult time focusing on anything. Aridean’s eyes slowly began to shut as the rain soaked her furry face.

I guess… this is it. I knew that was a bad idea, but how was I supposed to just leave her like that? Someone with some sense would have left, but I didn’t want to abandon her to that thing, Aridean mentally reviewed her decision to attempt a rescue for Magdalene. Unable to move and slowly slipping into darkness, Aridean felt disappointment with herself.

“Father… I’m sorry I didn’t write you that letter. Vidor… I would have liked just one more date with you,” Aridean quietly spoke as her eyes shut. She felt this would be the last time they closed in this life as a bright light began to shine. Aridean had always heard that there was supposedly a bright light to guide the dying to the afterlife, but she did not expect it to be a bright green color.

“Only one more? I may not be a romantic, but I think we could have a few more than just one!” came a familiar voice from nearby.

Aridean gasped as she recognized the voice and her eyes shot wide open. By her side were Rana and Vidor. Rana was busy working her healing magics over Aridean’s bruised body and cauterized leg wound, refreshing Aridean with plenty of vigor for the task at hand. Vidor was holding one of Aridean’s hands in his and Aridean’s axe in the other; he also had his usual, goofy smile on his face after having made his previous comment.

“Rana, Vidor,” Aridean called as she sat up.

“Sorry we’re late, Vidor lost a bet over checkers with a dwarf,” Rana started as the green glow of magic faded from her hands. Vidor seemed to be offended by his sister’s excuse for their tardiness.

“Hey, I almost had him. Besides, you wanted to stop off at that bakery again for some more of that lemon cake,” Vidor retorted with annoyance in his voice. Rana rolled her eyes at her brother’s excuse but knew she could not entirely refute him. If it were under other circumstances, Aridean would likely have started to giggle at her friend’s exchange, but now was not the time for chatter.

“I’m just glad you guys are here now. Pastor Raltor has turned into a monster and he’s using Magdalene to perform some kind of ritual,” Aridean hurriedly explained as she stood back up again. She took her axe from Vidor and started to make her way back to the church, expecting Rana and Vidor to follow her lead. To her surprise, Rana grabbed her hand as she passed, halting her advance. Aridean looked to her friend in confusion.

“Aridean, slow down. If there’s some monster in there, we need a plan so that we don’t all end up back out here on our backs like you were when Vidor and I arrived,” Rana gently suggested. Aridean, however, was less than patient with the idea of wasting time devising a plan given what she had seen from the creature within the church. Even so, Aridean took a deep breath and was able to think on Rana’s words more clearly. Rain continued to pour down all around the trio.

“Okay, the plan… uh… first, we need to get Magdalene out of there. I don’t know what its obsession with her is, but it needs her for its ritual. After that? We’ll have to improvise as planting a knife in one of its lungs only annoyed it,” Aridean quickly explained in as calm a manner as she could. Vidor was quick to draw his bow as Aridean began to take the lead in storming the church. Rana, on the other hand, shook her head and was clearly wishing Aridean had thought over her plan a little more before acting. Nevertheless, she joined the other two minotaurs as they were reaching the door.

Peering into the church, the group watched the monster that still held Magdalene captive at the altar. The girl wriggled and squirmed in an effort to free herself from the tentacle that held her in place, but it was all in vain. Aridean watched as the creature used one of its tentacles to wrap around the hilt of the dagger she had thrust into it a few moments ago. Both Rana and Vidor watched with jaws dropped, obviously not expecting a monster of this caliber.

With a pained groan, the beast had quickly removed the knife in its back. To the surprise of all the non-monsters present, the gaping wound that hardly trickled blood saw a dark smoke form around it. The smoke was so thick that nothing could be seen. Strangely, the smoke cleared as soon as it appeared, revealing the wound the beast had suffered had regenerated. Rather than throw the weapon it had reclaimed to the side, the monster seemed to inspect it. Annoyed grunts could only just be heard over the smacking of the rain on the windows.

“This is that same dagger that you were to kill her with… I can feel the fire magic on it, but a demon lord like me does not feel such pitiful attacks… What the hell did that walking steak do that caused me pain?” The demonic entity mused aloud. Magdalene continued to struggle within the beast’s grip and could be heard making muffled grunts and exertions of effort in the process. Outside the church, the three minotaurs began to whisper among themselves.

“That thing is Pastor Raltor?! Spirits help us; what happened to him?” Rana first questioned.

“A knife in the back and through a lung did nothing? What have I gone and gotten us into now?” Aridean quietly complained.

“A demon lord? Huh, kind of expected something… well, bigger,” Vidor nonchalantly observed. Both Aridean and Rana looked to him with mild annoyance over his disappointment with the horror that threatened them. Having expressed their individual opinions, Rana beckoned her team closer away from the doorway as the demon returned its attention to Magdalene.

“Okay, Aridean, what do you know about that thing so far?” Rana asked while peering into the church again. It appeared that the demon was redrawing the bloody glyphs it had made previously. Aridean’s first attack must have disrupted something or smeared one of its drawings.

“Honestly, I don’t know much more than you two. That… thing was Raltor. It uses those tentacle-y things to grab and attack. It killed three empire soldiers that had arrived to arrest Raltor. Don’t underestimate it just because it has a human body; those tentacles are incredibly strong. One strike from those things is what sent me from inside the church to the ground over there where you two found me,” Aridean answered in as calm a tone as she was able to. Vidor looked back at the kicked-up mud and dirt where Aridean had been thrown. His eyebrows shot up with surprise upon hearing Aridean’s account of the demon’s strength.

“Yikes, you must have flown about twenty meters then. Worse yet, that’s not including the extra… maybe two meters you were dragging on the ground. Yeah, that thing is crazy strong,” Vidor commented. Rana sighed as she turned back to Aridean and Vidor. The two looked to their leader in anticipation of her orders. After a moment of thinking things over, Rana sighed again.

“I’m not liking this one bit, but we’re here and no one else is going to save her if we don’t,” Rana began to announce, both Aridean and Vidor nodded in agreement. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right. I’ll try and keep it in place with magic and provide support. While it’s restrained, Aridean will move in and take out the tentacles holding Magdalene. Throughout all of this, Vidor will keep pressure up from a distance. I don’t know how to kill a demon, so our objective is to get Magdalene and get out, understood?”

All through her plan, Rana was drawing the team’s attack in the mud. Luckily, only just enough light was shining from within the church so that everyone could see what Rana was drawing. Having concluded their strategy meeting, the three nodded to one another once more before standing and moving to the door to the church again.

Aridean and Vidor both immediately moved into church, keeping to opposite walls as they entered. Vidor drew an arrow in his bow as the beast at the altar turned to acknowledge the trio. Rana stood in the doorway, her hands glowing a bright green color again as she began to cast her magic. With haste, she threw one of her hands into the air as the demon began to lurch forward roaring loudly.

Before the creature could move even two feet, the wooden floor beneath it split as an earthen spike shot up from the ground. This magic spike managed to bore its way into the stomach of the monster, which let out another loud roar. Vidor then began his assault by first firing an arrow into the right knee of the beast. He followed by speedily firing a second into the left knee.

“Aridean, now!” Rana called out.

Certain that the demon was now immobilized, Aridean moved in as quick as her hooves could take her. Jumping from a broken pew piece she used as a springboard, Aridean brought her axe over her head. At the apex of her jump, she began a downward swing. Unfortunately, the creature reeled back as far as was possible with the impaling earth spike in its abdomen. The monster threw the two free tentacles up at Aridean, grabbing both her torso and leg as she descended upon it. Even so, the beast was too late to stop her attack.

Aridean, despite being captured now, brought her axe down with force on the tentacles that restrained Magdalene. Her captor roared in pain as Magdalene was dropped from its grasp; both of the tendrils had been hacked entirely off of the main body. Disgustingly, the two fleshy noodles wiggled as Magdalene threw them off of her and began gasping for air. The demon turned to see its true prey struggling to her feet.

“Augh!” Aridean cried out as the tentacle wrapping around her torso began to tighten. Now it was Aridean’s turn to wiggle and squirm. Differently, she had an axe that she desperately began to lift again for another attack. However, the axe never came down upon the tentacle that was starting to crush the life out of her as the one grabbing her leg was redirected to her hand holding the weapon.

“I have waited so long and I will not allow you worms to interfere!” The demon loudly declared, sheer fury and malice in its voice. From the ground, Magdalene watched as the beast moved its legs despite the arrows meant to cripple it. To Magdalene’s and Rana’s amazement, the demon threw its body back and in doing so, shattered the earthen spike that impaled it. Now free and clearly not slowed down, the monster approached Magdalene as Aridean continued to struggle in a quickly tightening tentacle.

Frozen in place, Magdalene refused to move as the monstrous maw leaned in. Blood dripped from the creature as it showed off its many broken bone-teeth. From within the body, Magdalene could smell the revolting stench of Raltor’s insides. As the creature lunged at her, Magdalene raised a single arm in her defense. The maw snapped shut with the same force of a bear trap securing its mark.

Luckily, the maw did not secure anything as Vidor had pulled Magdalene out of the way of the creature’s attack at just the last second. He pushed the girl behind him as he drew his crossbow and fired a bolt directly into the skull of the monster. It reeled back again from the force of the bolt penetrating its body but did not seem incredibly bothered by attack.

“You are quite the nuisance,” the demon angrily hissed before throwing Aridean from its grip directly into Rana at the back of the church. “Begone!”

With that, the monster charged Vidor. In response, Vidor holstered his crossbow as quickly as possible and drew a knife in each hand. Despite his sleight of hand, he was not fast enough and could only bring his arms up to defend himself as the beast forcibly slammed its deceptively powerful tendrils into his body. Vidor was lifted from the ground and flew directly through a window to the church. The minotaur was last seen exiting into the dark and stormy night as the window shattered. Bits of glass shining in the candlelight as they fell out of view, along with Vidor.

“Vidor!” Rana called out with concern for her brother as she and Aridean struggled to stand up again.

Loud patter of rain hitting the ground and puddles outside the window nearly drowned out her voice. For a moment, it seemed like the only thing responding to Rana was the rush of cold air entering the church. As the breeze danced its way around the room, the candles within the hall flickered. Aridean watched as the candle nearest her extinguish as another strong gust of cold air ran by; a small stream of smoke slowly wafting from the burnt candle. Having witnessed the candle being put out had sent a chill down Aridean’s spine. She did feel a small amount of relief when she finally heard Vidor’s familiar voice from out the window respond to Rana.

“I’m okay! This rose bush broke my fall!” Vidor responded in the darkness outside. If one were to listen very closely, they could only just make out a pained groan over the rain following Vidor’s response.

Is now really the time for jokes?! Aridean thought to herself as she managed to pick herself up again. Unfortunately, the crushing grasp of the demon had left its mark on her and she found she was having difficulty breathing. Aridean ran her hand along her side to discover immense discomfort in her torso. She assumed that the monster must have broken a rib or two.

“Aridean, are you okay?” Rana asked as she moved to keep herself between the monster and Aridean. Rana turned for only a second to see Aridean wincing in pain before returning her attention to the threat, “Dammit… hang in there!”

The demonic entity seemed momentarily distracted as it turned left and right and spun around. Aridean watched, a bit confused by the beast’s movements. Still having trouble catching her breath, Aridean hefted her axe in both hands as Rana brought up her knuckles. A bright green glow had returned to Rana’s hands as she prepared herself for the next move. Strangely, the monster did not seem to notice, or perhaps did not care, that the duo was raising arms against it again.

What is that thing doing? It’s almost as if it’s looking for something… Aridean thought to herself as she observed the peculiar behavior of the demon.

“Rgh! Where?! Where is my new vessel?!” the demon could be heard aggressively shouting throughout the church as it continued to spin in place. Eventually, the beast returned its attention to Rana and Aridean, “What have you snacks done with her?! If she got away… RGHHH!! You pathetic whelps will know unyielding wrath!”

Having made its declaration of war, the demon began to charge Rana and Aridean. Aridean brought her axe up over her head in preparation for a counterattack but was struck with intense pain in her side. Due to the sudden ache, Aridean felt immensely unbalanced with the axe raised. Nevertheless, she maintained her uncomfortable stance as the beast began to rush her.

Rana, however, simply opened her left hand. Her fingers were tingling with the thrum of magic as she was in the middle of channeling her power. Aridean watched as the demon only made it three steps before Rana closed her hand into a tightly clenched fist. As Rana’s fist closed tight, the glowing aura began to shine even brighter and the splintering of wood could be heard nearby.

Aridean watched as the stone beneath the church rose from under the floor again and snaked its way around the leg of the monster charging her and Rana. Unprepared for the sudden restraint, the demon lost its footing and began to fall forward. At this point, Rana rushed the beast as it fell to the ground. Before the monster had hit the ground, Rana swung the razor-sharp edge of her brass knuckles in an upward slash that severed the two remaining tentacles on the beast’s body. Needless to say, the monster was roaring in a fit of rage and anger at Rana’s actions.

“That’s it! I’VE HAD IT!!” The demon roared as a dark smoke enveloped its body. Aridean and Rana both took a step back in shock as they watched the smoke move across the body. Wherever this strange smoke covered the monster’s body it seemed to be obscuring any wounds that the beast had sustained. Aridean and Rana both gasped as they watched the smoke dissipate, revealing the body had instantly been regenerated. Holes from Vidor’s arrows were gone. The massive void in its abdomen from Rana’s initial magic attack had been filled. But most concerning, the tentacles which made for a serious threat had regrown on the horrific body.

H-how are we supposed to kill this thing?! W-what are we go—, Aridean began to think to herself before having her own thoughts cut off. As she was pondering a means of hurting the demon, it had hastily broken the earthen anchor around its leg and used a tentacle to secure both Aridean and Rana by their throats. Before either could swing either of their weapons, the remaining two tentacles restrained the arms that were coming in for retaliation.

“This one is just annoying… but you…,” the demon stated aloud as it analyzed Rana and then turned its attention to Aridean. Both Rana and Aridean were struggling as the beast lifted them from their hooves, “you actually managed to hurt me. I do not know how and I do not care how. You’ll die first… painfully.”

Having decided to end this showdown, the beast began to not only tighten its grip around Aridean’s and Rana’s throats, but to lean in with maw wide. Aridean watched in a panic as teeth made of broken bone drew closer and closer. She still remembered how the monster made its first kill tonight, having crunched an Empire soldier’s head entirely off of his shoulders. It was certainly not the end she wished to meet as well.

“A-Ari—” Rana barely managed to squeak out as the tentacles choking the two grew ever tighter. A bolt of lightning outside briefly illuminated the scene in a bright flash. As things darkened again in the dim candlelight, the boom of the thunder loudly resounded throughout the church. Cold air continued to dance throughout the worship hall. A tear rolled down Aridean’s face as her face came within inches of the first bone-tooth within the gaping maw. Beyond the jagged teeth, Aridean could see lungs and a beating heart. Aridean closed her eyes as the maw opened wider.

“AUGHHHHHH!!” The demon roared in pain. Aridean felt her throat open up again as she fell to the ground in a heap. Coughing and gasping for air, she noticed that Rana had also been released and was also desperately collecting air for her own lungs. She then looked at the monster that had been only a second or two away from eating her head. To her surprise, a crossbow bolt had been fired directly into the beast’s beating heart. However, much to her confusion, this bolt was glowing brightly.

“H-h-holy magic?! What?! S-she… rah! That ungrateful maggot,” the monster roared. Aridean turned around to the church door and saw not just Vidor with his crossbow ready but Magdalene by his side. Magdalene’s hands were glowing with the same white aura that the crossbow bolt now lodged in the demon’s heart was.

“It’s hurting! Hold it down again!” Magdalene shouted toward Rana. Although she was still struggling for air, Rana managed to tap into her magic and ensnare the demon as she had previously.

“Kill you all… I will KILL YOU ALL!” The dazed beast roared as it began to fight against its new bindings. This time, something seemed to dramatically weaken the demon as it was entirely unable to free itself as it had done before. Even the tentacles that it had been using for offensive actions now fell limp at its sides.

“Hey, you! I’m going to imbue your axe with holy power; cleave that thing in two!” Magdalene called out as she threw the aura glowing around her hand toward Aridean. As the aura reached her, it skirted around her body and made its way to the axe she was still tightly gripping in her right hand. Upon making contact with the weapon, Aridean’s axe began to incandescently glow within the church.

“She has a name you know,” Vidor chided as Aridean slowly stood up on her hooves.

“Is now the best time?!” Magdalene retorted with great annoyance in her voice. Despite it clearly not being the best time, Vidor rolled his eyes at Magdalene signaling his own annoyance with her. Although she was in a great deal of pain and discomfort, Aridean slowly approached the weakened monster, firmly gripping her imbued battle axe.

“How is this possible?! I am a demon lord! I epitomize the very sin of wrath itself! How could I fail to not only make that impertinent brat my new vessel but also fail to kill these three fools?!” The demon lord angrily declared as Aridean stood before it. “I will be victorious! All the world will know the true wrath of Hell itself!”

Aridean raised her glowing axe overhead before speaking, “Feel the wrath of Heaven.”

With that, Aridean brought down the weapon with tremendous force as the demon roared indignantly. The tone of the roar immediately shifted from defiant and enraged cries to pained anguish as the axe tore right through the body. Like a knife through butter, Aridean’s axe had done just as Magdalene ordered and cleaved the abominable creature into two pieces. Although the roaring ended, the body continued to writhe on the ground like the body of a snake after having its head severed. Blood began to stain the wooden flooring where Aridean’s axe now rested; the crimson liquid began to pool around Aridean’s hooves as it continued to flow from the monster.

Aridean took a deep breath, feeling confident that the whole ordeal was now at its end. Her grip on the battle axe loosened as she began to stumble backwards. However, her relief was short-lived as an unsettling sight began to make its appearance. Although the body had stopped its squirming on the ground, the same black smoke that seemed to heal the creature began to rise from its remains.

“How can this thing keep going?” Aridean incredulously asked aloud to no one in particular. The thick smoke began billowing up from the mangled pile of flesh and blood.

“Get back!” Vidor called as he moved in front of Aridean. As Vidor raised his bow with an arrow prepared, the smoke began to clear. Beneath the black cloud, nothing about the beast appeared to change this time; the monster had not healed its fatal wound.

“Look at that,” Rana said, pointing to something glowing within one of the two split halves of the demon. Aridean followed Rana’s finger and saw the glowing crossbow bolt that Vidor had shot into the monster’s heart. Holy magic was slowly fading from the bolt, but what held everyone’s attention was the heart that it had penetrated. Raltor’s heart had begun to swell, growing in size at an alarming rate. Slowly, the muscle’s bloated form covered the bolt embedded within it. To everyone’s astonishment, the heart, now at least five times larger than it was originally, exploded in a shower of blood and giblets.

“Ugh, gross,” Rana complained as she wiped bits of heart off of her arm.

“I think… that’s that,” Vidor said as he unarmed himself.

“Good… I’m exhausted,” Aridean muttered as she now stumbled backward. Quick to help her, Vidor grabbed Aridean as she began to fall back. Although she was having a difficult time thinking clearly, Aridean managed to smile at Vidor, who returned his own smirk.

“Hmm? It looks like Magdalene’s run off already,” Rana commented after a quick survey of the room. Vidor helped Aridean to lean on his shoulder as the trio made their way to the door.

“Eh, leave her be. Doubt she’s in any mood to talk, least of all to us,” Vidor responded to his sister with indifference. However, his usual live-and-let-live attitude returned as he addressed Aridean, “So… about that date.”

“Vidor! After an evening like this don’t you think it best to let her have some time to herself?” Rana snapped at her brother. Vidor turned to face his older sister with a worried look in his expression. Aridean, however, giggled a little before taking a deep breath.

“Why don’t we just have a game night with checkers by a nice warm fire? A-after Rana takes some of this pain away,” Aridean said, wincing with discomfort as she stepped on her left leg in a way that triggered a sharp pain. “Oh, and no bets. Just a friendly game night.”

“Aw, take all the fun out of it why don’t you?” Vidor replied laughing as he turned back to Aridean. Rana rolled her eyes, but at the same time, was smiling brightly.

“You two were just made for each other, weren’t you?” Rana sarcastically asked as the group left the church in the darkness. Luckily, the rain was starting to let up as they began their trek back to the Tranquility Inn.

A bright sun was slowly descending in a blue sky mostly clear of fluffy, white clouds. Pleasantly cool air passed by in a gentle breeze as the afternoon was transitioning into the evening. Clop of horse hooves could be heard when the creak of the wooden wagon did not drown them out. On both sides of the wagon was vast countryside with wooded areas conservatively spaced out all around. With Byrden behind them, the team had only recently begun their venture back to Stonehaven.

Aridean sat in the back of the wagon as it rocked gently, or greatly if a wheel ran over a rock. She just watched as the countryside scene her eyes focused on lazily moved by; a drowsy feeling was slowly creeping up on her. Both Rana and Vidor sat at the front of the wagon. Rana held the reins to the horses pulling their wagon while Vidor drank water from a canteen.

“Y’know, I’m surprised you were so quick to leave, Rana,” Vidor spoke as the wagon was pulled into pleasant shade under some trees on the side of the road. “I just kind of thought you’d want to check out that sweet shop again.”

“Well, you know I would have liked to do so. To be honest with you, I’m trying not to think about how much I regret not doing so right now. But I already told you both we needed to leave after our meeting,” Rana replied with her normal, sweet and friendly tone of voice.

Rana mentioned it this morning: we need to leave before anyone notices the scene at the church and suspects us, Aridean thought to herself.

“Well, yeah, but why would anyone in Byrden suspect us? Besides, that thing was not human anymore, if it ever was to begin with. You know what I’m more concerned with?” Vidor asked, sounding almost serious.

“Magdalene, yes, I know. While she clearly did not enjoy our company, I doubt we have anything to worry about her. She did help us last night after all. Even if she does decide to report us to the authorities, we’re already well on our way home,” Rana answered. Vidor’s expression shifted to show his own doubt in his sister’s stance on the girl in question. Magdalene had to have been aware that the group she had helped to slay a demon were members of the rebellion and not the pilgrimaging family they claimed.

“Uh-huh, we’ll see about that,” Vidor stated with annoyance in his tone. His odd comment garnered Aridean’s attention as she looked to him wondering what he meant by that. Why was he challenging Rana’s belief that Magdalene, who they had not seen since the previous evening, would not cause them any trouble?

“S-she was a bit scary, but she did help us in the end. I don’t know what she’s going to do with herself now that Raltor’s gone, but I hope she’s able to find her own happiness. Maybe she’ll stop pickpocketing minotaurs now,” Aridean commented trying to remain hopeful. Vidor turned around to Aridean looking a bit confused by her statements.

“Isn’t this the girl who stabbed you in the leg last night? She stabs you and you run to her rescue then wish her well? What does somebody have to do to make you angry?” Vidor asked before sighing and turning back to the road ahead. “Aw well… Hey, Rana, could you do me a favor and stop the wagon for a second?”

“Did you really not go back at the—,” Rana began to ask her brother with mild irritation in her voice.

“Just stop the wagon for me, please?” Vidor asked again. Rana, looking annoyed with Vidor, pulled up on the reins. The horses pulling the wagon stopped just before they left the delightful shade of the trees. Rather than get down from his seat in the wagon, Vidor folded his arms over his chest and took a deep breath. Both Aridean and Rana looked to him with growing confusion.

“Uh… Vidor?” Aridean called out, starting to feel a little bit concerned for her friend. He had been acting a bit off ever since the group had started their journey back home.

“Last chance to change your mind, it’d only be about an hour’s walk back to Byrden,” Vidor loudly announced. Whatever irritation was left in Rana’s expression was immediately replaced with confusion. Aridean was also left entirely befuddled by Vidor’s sudden announcement.

“Who are you talking to?” Rana asked, worried about her brother. Vidor, however, retained the annoyed expression he had and seemed to wait for a response to his declaration.

“He’s talking to me,” came a voice from somewhere nearby. Startled, both Aridean and Rana jumped in their seats.

“Who said that?!” Aridean called out, still a bit alarmed by the unannounced guest. Rather than respond to Aridean, a loud thud could be heard coming from underneath the wagon.

“Ow…” came the voice again, sounding as though it was under the wagon. Aridean looked over the side of the wagon as she heard dirt shuffling beneath her. Rana was also looking around the wagon from her seat at the front while Vidor continued to fix his gaze on the road ahead. When it became clear that Aridean had been looking over the wrong side of the wagon, she turned around at just the right time to catch a glimpse of a humanoid hand reaching over the wagon. Aridean quickly turned around to face whoever was climbing up into the wagon.

“Isn’t it obvious?” came the oddly familiar, girlish voice. As she finished her response to Aridean’s question, the unmistakable golden locks and lightly freckled face of the pickpocket Magdalene came into view. She was not wrapped in the blue cloak she had been wearing the previous day but was dressed in a long sleeve, white button-up and long, white skirt with a light-blue trim. She also had a fair-sized backpack over her shoulders that looked well worn, it was a strange contrast to her nice and, mostly, clean clothes.

The young girl nimbly pulled herself up and over the side of the wooden wagon and now sat opposite Aridean in the back. Aridean and Rana were both left speechless by the sudden appearance while Vidor looked back at the girl with indifference. Magdalene began brushing dirt off of her clothes and wiping her hands clean. Every pat on her white clothes saw a small cloud of dirt and dust fly up into the air. Once satisfied with the state of her clothing, the girl surveyed the three minotaurs that were watching her.

“M-Magdalene?!” Aridean called out in astonishment. Magdalene looked at her with an impatient expression on her face. She let out a long, drawn-out sigh and rested her chin in the palm of her hand, her elbow on her knee.

“How long have you been down there?” Rana asked their stowaway.

“She’s been under there even before we set out,” Vidor answered for the girl. Magdalene began to nod her agreement with Vidor’s statement.

“B-but… why?” Aridean inquired, confused as to why the girl had decided to join them. Of everyone she had met outside of Stonehaven, Magdalene seemed like the last to accept traveling with minotaurs. The young girl let out another, impatient sigh.

“L-look… it’s like you were saying: I don’t know what to do now that Pastor’s gone. There’s nothing left in Byrden for me. Not that I’m really leaving anything behind that I cared about anyways,” Magdalene answered, sounding very sure of herself.

“Well… I understand leaving, but I’m surprised you’ve decided to follow us. What were you planning on doing joining us on our pilgrimage?” Rana asked, trying to keep up the group’s ruse.

“Ugh, you can drop that… I know you guys are rebel soldiers and I’m mostly sure she isn’t your sister,” Magdalene replied, clearly agitated by Rana’s bluff.

“Hmm… no sense in pretending if you know. In that case, what are you doing here? Are you sure you don’t want us to take you back to Byrden?” Rana repeated her question with a gentle and sweet tone. Vidor turned to his sister with an annoyed expression upon hearing her offer to ride the wagon back to town for the group’s uninvited companion.

“There’s no reason for me to stay in Byrden. To tell you the truth, I-I’ve done some thinking about what happened last night… I’m going with you guys… if you’ll let me,” Magdalene responded. Magdalene looked mildly annoyed by the expressions the three minotaurs now wore. Aridean still looked stunned that Magdalene had even appeared while Rana’s face was filled with some kind of mix between concern and skepticism. Vidor, however, gave a small scowl to signify his resentment of her statement. A gentle and cool breeze blew past the wagon, making Magdalene’s hair and the manes on the three minotaurs dance somewhat.

“B-but don’t you h-hate us?” Aridean reluctantly inquired, a bit fearful of Magdalene’s reprisal. She was surprised when Magdalene’s eyes fell to the wooden floor of the wagon where the girl’s feet rested. Aridean thought that she looked for all the world like a sad, little girl and not the scary, hate-filled pickpocket from yesterday.

“I-I… I do hate minotaurs… b-but you guys saved my life. I-I just owe a debt, that’s all. I-I’m just tagging along to repay you guys for what you did for me. A-after that, we’re through,” Magdalene declared with authority in her voice. Although she seemed to maintain her serious attitude, Aridean felt there was a degree of hesitation in her words.

“You’re just coming along to repay us for helping you last night? Why though? What are you really after?” Vidor chided, clearly unconvinced that the girl was there with a sense of gratitude for the team’s actions.

“I’ve got a lot of growing up to do, I get that… I thought maybe you guys could help me with that… B-but that doesn’t make us friends, got it?!” Magdalene responded, sounding a little less sure of herself as she finished.

“Well, if that’s what you want to do. We’d be happy to have you if you don’t mind traveling with us,” Rana said with a gentle smile that seemed to catch Magdalene’s attention for a brief moment. Vidor also directed his attention to his sister with disbelief in his face.

“Rana! She almost killed Aridean last night! You’re okay with letting her join us?!” Vidor incredulously blurted out to his sister’s irritation.

“Well, you and I have cast our votes. We’ll let Aridean be the tie-breaker on whether or not we allow Magdalene to accompany us,” Rana told Vidor with her do-as-I-say tone that usually kept her brother in line. Vidor did seem to ease up, but only slightly. Both of the siblings and Magdalene then turned to Aridean who felt a bit embarrassed having all eyes on her.

“I—well—uhm,” Aridean stammered. She was now being asked to decide whether or not Magdalene would be allowed to follow the team. Vidor was right: Magdalene had threatened her life the previous evening. Logically, there would be no good reason for allowing Magdalene to join them given her view of their kind. Further, Magdalene was aware of their affiliation with the rebellion and had no reason not to report them to the Empire. Frankly, Rana’s relative acceptance of Magdalene’s presence was strange given all their reasons for not having the girl join them.

I don’t know! Why do I have to be the one making this decision? Vidor’s right: she did stab me… But Rana thinks it’s okay. Maybe Rana just thinks this will be a way to keep an eye on her so she doesn’t report us? I still don’t really understand this change of heart though… She seemed fully prepared to kill me last night but after she stabbed my leg… Aridean thought to herself as she contemplated her decision. While common sense dictated that she refuse accepting Magdalene, something told her to consider the alternative.

“Different kinds of people… can be really scary. But different people can be wonderful too,” Aridean began to speak, Magdalene directed her full attention to Aridean as she spoke. “I don’t know about changing a person or what they think of me. I think those people can only change if they want to themselves…”

“I… kind of get that, after what you guys did for me last night. Minotaurs are bloodthirsty savages… at least, that’s what I’ve thought for a long time now. You guys showed me that… might not be true for all of them. I-I want you guys to help me prove that: I don’t want to just … I want to see for myself that there are more like you out there,” Magdalene declared. Rana smiled, but quickly turned away from the other three. Vidor’s frustrated expression regarding the conversation seemed to soften as he heard Magdalene’s resolution.

“I want your help too; your help to realize that there are people who don’t hate minotaurs like us because of what others have done. I-if you’re sure about coming with us, I’d like you to travel with us for a while,” Aridean exclaimed, much to Magdalene’s surprise. The two managed to lock eyes and Magdalene nodded to Aridean, who gave a gentle smile.

“Well, I believe that’s that then. Welcome aboard, Magdalene. Oh, I suppose we should at least give proper introductions if we’re going to be working alongside one another for a little while,” Rana said after a deep breath and turning back around. “My name is Rana Stonehoof. My brother is Vidor and our friend is Aridean Gray.”

As she spoke, Rana whipped the horses back into motion. After only a second, the wagon jerked slightly as the horses began pulling again. As the wagon exited the shade, bright and warm sunlight enveloped the group as they made their way for Stonehaven.

“My name is Magdalene Aurisle Ruyno Yorre,” Magdalene replied, sunlight illuminating her golden hair to the point that it actually looked to reflect blinding light.

“Aurisle Ruy… what?” Vidor asked, clearly stumped by the girl’s unusual name.

“It’s elvish, I guess that means--,” Aridean began to clarify before being cut off.

“Yeah, I’m a half-elf, okay? Let’s not make a big deal over that,” Magdalene interjected, sounding almost bothered by her own explanation. “Anyways, what’s the deal with your name? Gray doesn’t sound very minotaur-like.”

“O-oh, uh, I was raised by a human,” Aridean answered nervously. Magdalene’s eyebrows shot up immediately upon hearing Aridean’s response. It was obvious that she had not anticipated that.

“Huh… o-okay then. Well, there’s just one thing left that I need before we do anything else,” Magdalene said as she pulled her backpack off of her shoulders. Aridean watched as the girl went rifling through the bag for something. When Magdalene found what she had gone searching for, Aridean’s heart sank in her chest.

Magdalene pulled a knife out from her bag. Upon seeing the weapon, Aridean’s body tensed up and Vidor seemed to do the same. Rana, however, was not paying attention to what was going on behind her as she was focused on the road.

W-what is she doing with that?! Aridean wondered in her mind as Magdalene put the knife down on the wagon floor between her and Aridean. The girl then presented her left leg to Aridean, rolling up her skirt over her knee. Only one word could be used to describe what Aridean saw in the young girl’s eyes: fear.

“J-just make it quick, okay? I-in and out and I-I’ll heal it with some magic,” Magdalene nervously squeaked. Aridean’s body relaxed a little, but now she was entirely confused.

“Uh… I’m sorry but… what are you talking about?” Aridean asked as she looked from the knife to Magdalene. She could see that Magdalene was now shaking, seemingly afraid of something.

“I-I stabbed you, s-so you need to stab me. T-that way we’re even,” Magdalene replied, her voice sounding more and more terrified. Aridean was entirely taken aback by the girl’s answer, as was Vidor. Rana had even turned around again upon hearing Magdalene, confusion painted on her face.

“Magdalene, I-I’m not about to stab you,” Aridean exclaimed, still stunned by Magdalene’s peculiar request. The young girl looked up at Aridean, warm sunlight illuminating her face. Aridean could see that her eyes were filled with regret and remorse.

“You want me to do it?” Vidor asked before being forcibly smacked in the back of his head by Rana. Having performed her duty and certain there was not about to be any sort of incident, Rana returned her attention to the road ahead.

Aridean slowly reached for the knife that Magdalene offered. While keeping eye contact with the odd girl, Aridean gently took the weapon from the wagon floor. She carefully pulled the knife toward her, away from Magdalene, and slipped it into a spare bag. With the instrument now out of sight, Aridean zipped the bag closed and looked to Magdalene again, offering a gentle, if awkward, smile. Magdalene’s response was to silently release her skirt back over her knee, her face turning a slight hue of red.

The group sat in the wagon as the horses continued to pull them across the long country road. Most of the rain from the previous evening had already dried up, but several mud puddles were scattered about. For a while, the only sounds anyone could hear was the creak of the wagon, horse hooves on dirt or plopping into a muddy puddle, and birds chirping from nearby trees. Despite the odd makeup of the group in the wagon, their surroundings seemed quite idyllic for traveling through.

“U-uh, o-okay… I-I, uh… I’m s-sorry about that, Ari,” Magdalene stuttered, still flushed a light red in her face with embarrassment. Aridean’s ears perked up upon hearing Magdalene speak. Vidor also seemed to take note of Magdalene’s apology.

“Her name is Aridean,” Vidor corrected.

“I-it’s okay Vidor… it’s been a while since somebody called me that,” Aridean replied, with another awkward smile. Vidor looked to her with a small amount of surprise.

“Well, I could call her Dean, but that just doesn’t sound right… sounds kind of man-ish if you ask me,” Magdalene said. Vidor looked at the girl with mild annoyance for a few seconds before deciding to let it go.

Vidor returned his attention to the road ahead along with his sister. Aridean, trying not to be weird or anything, began looking out at the countryside. She was hoping to avoid creeping Magdalene out. However, glancing in the girl’s direction every so often revealed that she was actually looking at Aridean.

“Hey, Ari… can I just ask one thing?” Magdalene begged from across the wagon. Aridean turned to the girl and waited patiently for the question she wished to ask. “So, you’re clearly not like any minotaur I’ve seen before. I guess that’s partly due to being raised by a human. But even after I insult you, send you into some sort of panic attack, and even stab you in your leg, you came to my rescue. You had to the perfect opportunity to just leave without any further dangers to yourself, but you didn’t… why?”

“W-well… d-do unto others, right, Magdalene?” Aridean said while giving another nervous smile, much to Magdalene’s surprise. Magdalene’s mouth had fallen slightly agape with astonishment at Aridean’s answer.

“Y-yeah…” Magdalene nervously responded as her eyes drifted elsewhere, as though she were thinking on something. “O-oh, and you can just call me Maggie.”