“Hahahaha!” The guffaw of Hoda echoed across the cavern. It seemed that she decided to hide for the moment. However, it was late for the Huntress to realize that they were trapped. Undead Tribal Knights were appearing from the closest piles of death, closing any gap for escape. The Huntress knew that defeating them would not be easy this time.

The knights however were not reckless in their approach. They tried to break her guard by attacking one by one. Acina was staying at her side as she was ordered to do. More knights were coming from the mountains of the dead. “There must be someone summoning them endlessly!” Thought the Huntress.

She killed the first, the second, the third… but her strength betrayed her. She did not care. She would never care. What she desired was to vanquish anything that stood in her path. That is the way she does things. It was clear that she was bleeding even though she did not take any blow from her foes. The poison tolled the end of her resistance as it slowly did its job on her body. The nun was extremely afraid as she was crawling on the ground and protecting her head with both arms. She had only one thing to do in such situations: praying.

Suddenly, the appearance of a phantom moving around the tribal knights made her lose her focus. It took the shape of a hooded wanderer wearing sturdy leather and wielding a short sword. The ghost did charm her for some reasons.

It was unfortunate. The Huntress shielded the nun from an attack that nearly hit her. That costed her the outcome of the battle as the axes and the spears of the knights started hammering her frame. Pylyp appeared and ordered the knights to retrieve the maiden. “Rod! Help me! Please help me!!” cried Acina.

The Huntress finally collapsed. She could not move anymore as the poison finally overcame her temporary immunity. “This is bad… It was not enough… I should have drawn more blood…Damn…” regretted the Undead Killer.

“Lady Hoda should have killed you. What will I tell Master Persolis now! Hein?! You killed half of his apostles already!” Bishop Pylyp was kicking her head putted in the dirt.

The two were taken deeper into the cavern, to what looked like an altar. There was a table made of stone and around it a number of pillars with a strange design. Hoda was waiting for them. Her axe was still imbued with fresh blood.

“You are too late, Pylyp. Maybe, I should cut you instead.” Said Hoda.

“My humble apologies, my lady!” Said Pylyp.

“The sacrifices you brought might not be needed but if it’s for the sport, I don’t mind.” Added Hoda.

“Did Lord Persolis depart already?!” said Pylyp with fear in his eyes.

“He’s going to execute the last step for his plan. We’ll just extract the artefact he needs from this filthy nun and we’ll wait for his coming. His conquest shall begin this night.” Said Hoda.

Acina was tied to the altar with iron chains. Hoda then saw that they brought the Huntress too.

She took a glance at her and realized that she was barely clinging to consciousness. “That’s so unfortunate. Maybe the poison will kill you before I finish my job. Hang on, my love. You must wait for me.” Murmured Hoda.

Acina did take a look around her. Dread struck her heart as she saw the heads of her supposed sisters. They were torn into pieces as if they were sheep prepared for a feast. The maiden could not stare anymore and turned her gaze away. Her eyes were bleak and empty. “But… but… I love you, Rod!! I love you!!! Why are you allowing this?!! I love life and I hate death!” Cried Acina.

The Executioner’s axe was raised into the air and empowered with momentum to lay waste on the poor girl. Abruptly, an arrow struck that arm. “Aggh?!” Hoda crunched in pain as she quickly tried to see who did hit her. The knights and Pylyp were in alert as they did not sense or see any intruder. And it was not the Huntress since she was guarded by them.

More arrows came from the shadow behind the several mounds around them. Each arrow pierced the head of a mad knight with precision and might. They did not care at first as it was not that greatly damaging for an “Undead”. However, smoke came from their injuries and all of them started agonizing enormously. Pylyp felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugged in his chest , he ran quickly and got behind the executioner but she pushed him back. “Stay away from me, you rotten scum.” Said Hoda. Her right arm was disabled and so she decided to rely on her sword in the other hand. “A great showdown indeed. Will you give us the honor to see you already?” Said Hoda.

The Tribal Knights fell to the ground, liquid substances leaking from their armors. It was their flesh. “Uhh!! Could it be?! It’s the very same Burning Silver the Church uses?!” Screamed Pylyp. From the shadow, a figure approached.

“What are you doing?! You damn fools! Go finish that damn bastard!” Shouted Hoda. The remaining three knights left the unconscious huntress who was fighting the poison already. “Don’t tell me… It’s one of the Herald Knights…” Stuttered Pylyp.

With winged boots, light but sturdy armor engraved with a symbol of two intertwined serpents and an impressive golden bow, a Herald Knight from Horis was entering the scene. Unusually, he was masked too. The three undead knights reached to him but his arrows finished them before they ever could touch him.

“Royal Executioner Hoda, supposedly a hand of Justice for the kingdom, is allied with the heretics. This can’t be… Or it can be… for such a bloodthirsty monster. You are hexing around and meddling with the faithful of Rod. Unforgivable…” His iron voice castigated the executioner but she was unconcerned.

“Did you come here to judge me? I have no time for that.” Said Hoda.

“He must be the one who escaped from our grasp when we ambushed the Horis’ pilgrims. Never thought he will be brave enough to infiltrate our hideout?!” Said Pylyp.

“And you are Father Pylyp of Perun. Outstanding, you have done well in the service of ROD. I’ll make sure to send you to Hell before Sunrise.” Added the Herlad.

“Shut Up! What can you do to me?! Huh!!! I have both the benefits of the church and of necromancy! You can’t harm me!” Carried on the bishop.

“I could have killed you from the beginning but I just want to make sure that you suffer even further.” Said the Archer.

The Herald drew his arc and aimed at one of them. Pylyp sorted out his Sacred Bell and ringed it, some sprays of feeble light spread around him. The arrow was shot, Hoda dodged away but its focus was towards the bishop who thought that his spiritual barrier would protect him. It just slowed it down but in the end it did strike him.

“Gahah!? Why?! Why did it break through?!” Wept the priest.

“Why, you ask? You should know the answer already. There is no place for those who reject the blessings of Hope. You can’t fool ROD!” Said the Herald.

“This is troublesome. I never thought that I will have to fight from range.” Thought Hoda while she hid behind one pillar. A second and a third arrow struck the heart and the head of Pylyp but he was not finished yet. He could ring his bell again and so he reanimated few corpses of piles. But they were very weak for the herald who killed them quickly. He prepared to launch some more few shots. “You have to pay the price, hexer.” Under the agony, Pylyp lost his sanity and screeched: “You… damn liars… I decided to stop being a fool! We chose to withstand the truth of this world but you deceive people and prolong their suffering for nothing! We’re finished, ev-“ Only one final arrow to the head stopped him as he was already melting.

“Is the fearsome Hoda afraid of facing a lone archer?” Said the Herald. His enemy did not respond. He approached her while taking caution as he knew she was so tricky. The moment Hoda’s helm showed itself from behind the pillar, the Archer instinctively attacked but it was an empty helm. “Crap! That was a decoy!!” realized the Herald. The executioner charged from the other side. She knew that she could close the distance before he would be ready to fire his next arrow. With her crimson hair flowing like fire, her lunatic eyes shined like those of a hungry beast.

She swung her sword but was repelled by his very bow. “What?!” Hoda was surprised. “I’m no coward, I just don’t want to get my hands too dirty.” Said the Herald as he began his counter attack. They exchanged several blows and it was clear that the executioner was at a disadvantage because of her disabled arm and because of his unusual dexterity. In the end, he forced her to get away from him. “You’re done for. Send my regards to Hell.” Said the Herald as he launched his arrow. It penetrated her body from the upper part of her chest. Since his enemy was not an Undead, he made sure to apply enough force to the arrow. The tall executioner collapsed as she was staring at herself bleeding to death.

The Herald then went to check on the nun who was amazed of the battle that happened in front of her eyes. “Than- Thank you! I’m saved!” Said Acina. He did not say anything and was figuring out a way to break her chains. “Are you Sir Lazlo? One of Saint Simon’s Knights ?! This mask! Weren’t you with us during the pilgrimage?! Yes, it must be! I’m so blessed!” Added Acina.

But a big shadow appeared from behind him, it was Hoda going to strike him and he realized that too late. Her sword cut his left arm as he was trying to avoid her. “Aaag! This… monster… How could I not sense her?! … She did not breathe…until now. This is why I thought that she died already. I wonder how much terror would she bring if she chose to become Undead!?” Muttered Lazlo. “But I guess this is where you stop.” He said that indifferently as the executioner could not finish him off. A scythe was gripping at her neck. It was the huntress.

“The invincible Hoda is finally defeated. Regrettably, I wished to have more fun. Or at least I did, unlike you two.” Even at such a situation, she pissed both of them, the Herald and the Huntress.

“A Monster like yourself has no right to judge the faithful!” Said Lazlo.

“Uhh…I’m not judging… I’m stating facts. I never saw Light since my birth. But you two knew it but lost it at some point and now you are clearly trying to retrieve it, find it, touch it. For me, only killing and slicing people made me reach this far. I can’t lie. I did enjoy every bit of it. And even now, I’m so excited from seeing myself die like the rotten souls I tortured. Hehehehe.” Said Hoda. “…Like if they ever deserved to live anyway. They were rotten as rats’ filth. Their hearts, their brains, their guts and their flesh told me about them. How they would do anything to exist even plunging themselves into squalor… Hahaha!!” Added the mad woman.

“I have one question for you. Why did you join the Dead Apostles?” Said the Huntress.

“You’re still desperate to prove your morals, aren’t ya?! Haha… I’m working for them since they allowed me to further my passion. I have nothing to do with your useless conflict of Hope and Doom. I just want to kill more people, is there something wrong with that?” Said the executioner.

“You had great insight but a terrible heart. Lone soul, you must be freed.” Mumbled the rogue.

These words mesmerized everyone around but it was not long enough for the executioner as she was beheaded. The Herald breathed out of relief and stood up while the Huntress fell to her knees again. She barely did it.

Lazlo drank a potion and then picked up his cut arm. It fused again with his body. When he looked up, he saw the eyes of the Huntress fixated at him with a terrifying ire. It was not different from him too, he sent her a gaze of wrath too. Acina noticed that and tried to conciliate them: “ Hey… you two… why are you like that?! Aren’t you two warriors of the Church?!”

“You mistook her pagan mask for the Angelic church’s? You’re a lost cause, Acina.” Said the Herald. “But I guess she’s at her limit now.” Added Lazlo. He took a specific antidote and threw it at the huntress. “Drink it.” He said to her. However, she doubted his intent.

“That’s an antidote. It will cure you instantly from the Burning Silver.” Added Lazlo.

After hesitation, she consumed the potion. Her terrible weakness went away and she started restoring her former power. A necromantic aura flowed around her and her eyes glowed in a brilliant jade color. “I hope that I did not do the wrong thing.” Said Lazlo as he sensed an insane threat from her. But she did not attack them, she was searching for her stolen blade and the book of the dead.

“They must not be that far. I’m sensing them.” Thought the Huntress. Eventually, she found them somewhere further at the end of the pit. But before her stood a giant old gate engraved with strange symbols. It depicted a battle between a three headed serpent coming from the womb of earth and a three headed eagle bolstered with thunder and descending from the sky.

“You’re an Undead with your sanity, unlike the others, aren’t you?” It was Lazlo joining the Huntress alongside the nun.

“And what about you? Even though your scent is so different from what I know but it reeks of curses too. I really want to kill you.” Said the Huntress.

“No, don’t do that please. Don’t forget that I gave you the antidote.” Said the Herald.

“Then you must have taken a wrong turn to talk to me. Be gone.” Stated the Huntress.

“It’s my line. Heed my words. If you’re fool enough to play the champion, then only blame yourselves when you become consumed by the terrible nightmare this kingdom is hiding. I warned you.” Said Lazlo.

“A nightmare? As if my life isn’t one already.” Said the huntress.

The Rogue was examining the gate.

“This gate might be a bad omen really. Who knows what’s hiding behind it?” Said Lazlo.

“It might lead me to where Persolis went. Step aside.” Said the Undead Killer. She charged her weapon with energy and tried to destroy the gate, however, a mystic aura repelled her strike and did kick her away.

“Uhh!!… Now, this? Not even my power can open it. Damn!” Said the Huntress.

“It’s a bad idea to try and open it. I did overhear these heretics and I think you need a key which is in the possession of Persolis. Only he can open this gate.” Said Lazlo.

“Aren’t you gone already? Why are you staying here? You want yourself to get killed?” Warned the Huntress.

“We also have a business with Persolis. The intel about him was true. He is planning something big against the kingdom and against the church.” Said the Herald.

“I’m the one who must kill him. I will not allow anyone to lie any finger on him expect myself.” Responded the huntress angrily. But her anger became alert and shock. She sensed something awful coming deep from the underground.

“This… this is really bad.” Said the Huntress. She decided to leave the place.

“Hey!!! Why are you leaving suddenly?!” Asked Lazlo.

The worn out walls started crumbling and dust and rocks began to fall. It was an earthquake.

“I see now!” Said Lazlo.

A giant boulder was near from crushing the maiden if it wasn’t for her guardian.

“Run for it, Acina!” Shouted Lazlo as he pushed her away from danger.

“Knight Lazlo!” Cried Acina as she witnessed Lazlo being trapped because of the big rock. Besides, the mysterious gate fell apart, revealing a gaping expanse of darkness.

The cavern collapsed into itself and the castle was destroyed too. Terrific rifts that had no end and no bottom appeared in the surface as the forest drifted and slipped in and out. It was a horrific catastrophy that mutated the woodland tremendously.

TO BE CONTINUED