REVILED

Katrina stared up at the sign hanging above her. It depicted a red-headed woman in a black dress hugging a long sword. With a deep breath, Katrina stepped into the tavern. It was well cleaned, but there was a strange atmosphere in the room. A few people gathered around the bar, they were mostly thugs, but there were two women standing behind the bar.

“Well, what do we have here?” one of the thugs turned to look at her.

The motherly blonde woman smiled at her, “It’s been a while Katrina,” Ada said, “How have you been?”

“Honestly, not well,”

“You know this woman, miss Ada?” another thug looked surprised.

“I used to work in one of Madame Reina’s smaller brothels,” Ada said with a sad smile, “Mistress Katrina would check on us regularly.”

“I’m sorry to drop in unannounced,” Katrina bowed, “I’m here to see your boss.”

Ada sighed, “Master Legion is downstairs being entertained. I’ll take you to him.”

Katrina followed Ada downstairs. When she heard that the Legion’s boss was being entertained, she hadn’t expected the Amu’Ryjin woman simply be playing for him. The song was beautiful, and it hung in the back of her mind, easing her worry and stress. Ada kneeled in front of a curtained box and Katrina kneeled next to her.

“And who do we have here,” a growling chuckle came from behind the curtains.

“It is an honor to be in your presence master Legion,” Katrina bowed her head, “I… come bearing a message from Madame Taela. She wishes to pledge her fealty to you.”

“We thought Reina was in charge?”

“Madame Reina…is dead,” Katrina tried keeping her voice calm, “Her niece has taken over.”

“And does Taela think we’ll accept her without contribution?” master Legion laughed.

“O-of course not,” Katrina pulled out a coin purse, “This purse contains fifty gold bullions… and we’re willing to offer more as tribute.”

Ada took the purse and spread out the contents in front of the box. Fifty small golden blocks glistened in the lamp light. Katrina kept her head down, hoping that it would hide the sweat on her forehead.

“We accept your tribute,” Katrina sighed and raised her head, “However, we have an initiation for those who wish to join us.”

Katrina looked at the box in confusion, and Ada pulled up her dress to show a slave crest branded on her upper right thigh. Katrina looked at the box in horror.

“I-it was you!”

The curtains pulled back as a clawed foot stepped out, “That’s right,” the monster chuckled as it stared down at her, “Don’t worry, we’ll see to it that Decker pays for Reina’s death.”

Katrina watched in fear as the claw approached. It slipped past her and a clawed finger rested on the nape of her neck. Pain shot through her as she screamed, and tears ran down her face. When the pain stopped, Katrina fell onto the ground, silently sobbing.

“Tell Taela to be ready soon,” the monster stepped back into it’s booth, “Decker’s reign is over, and it’s time for ours to begin.”

Katrina bit her lip, trying to keep the words from leaving her mouth, “Y-yes…master,”

Bartholomew stepped into the large office where the Duke was waiting for him. He cleared his throat and tightened his tie under the noble’s stern gaze. Magister Cromwell stood behind the Duke glaring at Bartholomew as well.

“How may I be of service, your Grace,” Bartholomew bowed.

The Duke gestured to the chair, “I’ve been hearing disturbing reports lately,” he said staring daggers at Deckers, “Reports concerning you. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

Bartholomew sat down confused, “What kind of reports? I’ll need some more information first.”

“Were you in possession of the Tome of Elithis?”

Bartholomew stared dumbfounded, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he gently folded his hands, “I wasn’t aware that the Tome of Elithis had appeared.”

“So, you’re saying you didn’t hire a necromancer to use the tome to create a monster,” The Duke sneered, “And that you had this monster killing for you.”

“Of course not,” Bartholomew snapped, “And I find these accusations insulting!”

“Regardless, I have to take these reports seriously,” the Duke said, “And truthfully, I feel you’ve abused the freedoms that I’ve given you. That’s going to be ending today.”

“Have I not been a staunch supporter,” Bartholomew took a calming breath, “What would cause this distrust?”

“Your attack on the theater a few days ago may have something to do with that,” Cromwell said.

Decker glared at Cromwell, “I didn’t have anyone attack the theater,”

“Samon’s one of your associates, and his men attacked the theater!” Cromwell said, “Are you telling us you didn’t send his men to attack it?”

“I didn’t,” Bartholomew clenched his fist trying keep his cool, “I’ve ceased associating with Samon some time ago.”

“How convenient,” the Duke smirked, “Regardless, I’ve overlooked your criminal activity for the last time,” he slid over a piece of parchment, “You’ll be expected to pay a fine.”

Bartholomew looked at the paper and his eyes widen in shocked, “You expect me to pay this!” he snarled.

“You should be expected to pay your dues,” the Duke smiled viciously, “And we’ll be getting our pound of flesh. You have three days to get everything together.”

Bartholomew growled as the Duke waved him away, and he stormed out of the room with the paper crumpled in his fist. He saw red as he made his way out of the castle and jumped into his carriage.

“Take me to the Rose Garden!”

The carriage shook as it moved down the street. He uncrumpled the note and sneered down at the fine. There was no way he could pay for this in three days. He’d have to sell nearly all his assets to pay two-thirds of the fine. Bartholomew growled at the thought of going to others for help, but he needs to. Hopefully, Reina would assist now that Taela was back.

Bartholomew rested his head against the seat and took several deep breaths. He was able to calm down by the time the carriage stopped in front of the brothel. He took a minute to fix his suit and plucked a rose from the bush before he stepped inside. Bartholomew waited at the podium in the foyer with a slight smile, but it faded as no one came out. He tapped his fingers against the wood, and finally stepped into the bar, but there was no one there.

“Is anyone here?” Bartholomew called out.

“Everyone’s out at the moment,” He turned to see Taela enter the bar. Her hair was done up in a bun with a black veil covering the right side of her face, and her simple black dress felt out of place.

“I see,” Bartholomew sighed taking a seat at the bar, “Is Reina here?”

Taela’s lower lip quivered, “No, she’s not.”

“When will she be back, I need to speak with her.”

Taela poured two drinks and slid one over, “Aunt Reina isn’t coming back sir,” she downed her drink in a single gulp.

“I don’t… no,” Bartholomew gasped taking in her full appearance, “Who killed her?”

“You did,”

A shiver shot down Bartholomew’s spine. He turned to see a black rat with red eyes sitting on the bar. Its nose twitched in a way that he could only think of as malicious glee. Slowly it crawled closer and sat on its haunches.

“W-would you care for a drink… master?” Taela cleared her throat trying to keep herself from crying.

“That won’t be necessary,” the rat continued to look up at Decker.

Bartholomew gazes flicked between Taela and the rat, “Why? Why would you do this!” he slammed his fist onto the bar. Taela looked down in sorrow.

“Don’t blame her,” Reviled growled drawing Bartholomew’s attention, “Truthfully, she’s the victim. The victim of your hubris and your son’s foolishness.”

“I didn’t do anything!”

Reviled’s cackle caused goosebumps to form on his arms, “It’s because of you that we exist,” the rat’s eyes gleamed with excitement, “You know the danger the necronomicons pose, so why didn’t you give it away? Did it make you feel power?”

“Of course it did,” Bartholomew snapped, “I was able to do something that only the Church claimed they could do. It’s because of me that Elithis is trapped in her damned prison, so why should I be afraid of her. Why should anyone be afraid of the Dead Gods when all it takes to keep them locked up is to hide their books away.”

“Then why did you try using it?”

“To show the Dead Gods their place,” Bartholomew said with a dark smile, “Without us, they’re nothing. They need us to open their prison. They need us to be their avatars. And so, the power to keep them locked up is with us!”

“Poor Decker,” Reviled chuckled, “How wrong you are,” Bartholomew stared at the rat in confusion, but realization soon followed, “Do you think the Dead Gods are isolated from each other? That with their books locked away they are helpless. No, they can still operate in the shadows. After all, necrotic mana come from the Dead Prison.”

“No…”

“Elithis has been playing you from the beginning,” Reviled said proudly, “She has been patient. She waited for another avatar, she waited until Melgareth would seek her out, and she waited for you to give in to your pride,” Bartholomew’s stomach twisted into a knot, “Now do you understand why we say it’s your fault.”

A twisted smile came to Bartholomew’s lips, “There’s still one last thing I can do,” he ran out of the brothel as Reviled laughed at him. He jumped into the carriage, “Back to the manor, now!”

Bartholomew glared out the window as the carriage sped through the streets. When the carriage came to a halt, he jumped out of it and ran into the manor. The doors slammed opened and his shoes squeaked on the tile floor, but he stopped in the foyer.

“Davus!” he called out. There was no response, “Davus, where are you?” the heavy silence made his shoulder tense, “Damn it, someone answer me.”

“I let everyone have the day off old man,” Baron stepped out of the dinning room with a bottle of wine in one hand and a rapier in the other, “It’s just us.”

“What do you…” Bartholomew glared at his son, “Dammit, so the monster got to you too.”

“Yep,” Baron sighed with a sad smile, “We both let our pride lead us to our downfall.” He took a deep drink from the bottle before pointing his sword at Bartholomew.

Bartholomew ran to the side, trying to get into one of the rooms. Baron followed and stabbed at his father, but Bartholomew ducked out of the way. Bartholomew pushed into the room and groaned. The library was the worst place to be, but he grabbed a thick book from the shelf and faced his son.

Bartholomew blocked several stabs, thankful that the leather and wood blocked the strikes. Bartholomew slapped away another strike and stepped forward, punching his son in the face. Baron stumbled to the side but brought his sword up and slashed his father’s cheek as he ran past. Bartholomew ran up the stairs with Baron closely behind him, and he turned towards his armory. Bartholomew threw the door open and found himself pushed back as something slammed into his chest. He screamed in pain as blood seep down his chest. Charolette stood over him with a bloody flail in her hands.

“Damn,” Bartholomew coughed.

“You look to be in trouble sir,” Bartholomew turned to the side and watched Andren approach.

“Help, Andren,” Bartholomew struggled to get to his feet.

Andren shook his head and juggled a coin purse, “Sorry Decker, but I found a new boss,”

Bartholomew growled at the rogue, but a flash of grey drew his attention, “I told you pops,” Baron sighed, “You should have left the tome alone.”

“Fuck-” Baron shove his blade into Bartholomew’s neck. Slowly, his vision faded as the blood poured down his neck.

Baron watched as life left his father’s eyes. He wiped his blade clean and threw the rag onto the corpse.

“Goodbye old man,” Baron raised the bottle and took a drink.

“Well, my work’s done,” Andren put away his purse.

Baron chuckled as he watched the rogue leave, “You’re not going to stay?”

“Do you know when a ship is sinking?" Andren gave them a toothy smile, “When the rats start to flee. This damned city is sinking, and I’m not staying to go down with it.”

“Where are you going to go?”

“Not telling,” Andren laughed, “I’m getting out of here today, and I’m taking Winny with me,” he waved at them, “Bye Baron, hope the monster doesn’t tear you apart.”

Baron watched as Andren disappeared then looked to his father. He grabbed the vault key from Bartholomew’s pocket and stashed it away.

“I better get him into the garden,” Baron said with a slight waver, “He’ll have to go next to Davus.”

“I can help you sir, then I’ll clean up the blood,” Charolette touched his arm.

“Thanks,” Baron took hold of her hand, “We better hurry, the monster will be here tonight.”

Reviled couldn’t remember if it ever felt excited. It had memories from the souls inhabiting its core, but it had never felt anxious itself. Clearly the women riding alongside it could tell. Meridith and Mina were smiling genuinely at it while Oria had a more mischievous smile. Taela was the only one not smiling.

“We’re almost there, master,” Mina chuckled.

“We’ve come a long way haven’t we,” Meridith said with a small smile, “I… didn’t think I’d get to see this.” She petted Cappy who sat on her lap.

“Why are you so excited?” Cappy stared confused at it, “Is it your birthday, Big Meanie!”

“No,” Reviled scoffed, but couldn’t find the energy to be frustrated, “After three years, we finally get to speak with our mother again.”

“That’s sweet,” Cappy cooed.

“I… thought you were made by a necromancer?” Taela swallowed, nervously looking at Reviled.

“Melgareth made us, but Elithis brought us to life,” The carriage came to a halt, “Finally.”

They stepped out of the carriage. Emmett helped the women down and then stepped out of Reviled’s way. The women fell in step behind Reviled as it approached and entered the mansion. Baron and a beautiful blonde woman stood waiting for them.

“Welcome master,” Baron bowed while the maid curtsied.

Reviled threw off the cloak and stared at the maid, “Who is this?”

Charolette stood up and courageous approached the monster, “I am Charolette, master Reviled,” she opened the front of her dress showing off her cleavage, “If you would allow it, I would like to serve both you and master Decker.”

Reviled pressed a claw against her plump flesh, “Impressive,” it said as the magic branded the crest into her skin. Charolette released a small groan, but showed no signs of pain, “You’ve been holding out on us Baron,” it chuckled as she closed her dress, “You can continue to serve Baron, dear.”

Charolette curtsied with a warm smile, “Thank you master.”

“Where is the tome?” Reviled turned its gaze to Baron.

“Down in the vault. Please follow me.”

Baron and Charolette led them into kitchen and down a set of stairs into the basement. It was mostly filled with food with multiple wine racks sitting along the wall. Baron slid one rack to the side to reveal a wooden door that sat behind it. He unlocked the door and entered the empty room with a single steel door.

“I have the key, but I wasn’t able to get the code from my father,” Baron bowed offering the key, “Forgive my incompetence.”

“We won’t need it,”

Reviled placed a claw on the door. The locks magically opened with a loud clank, but then it was followed by an explosion. Bright light shone through the seams in the door, and it was followed by smoke. Meridith, Mina, and Oria gasped while looking worriedly at Reviled, but the monster casually opened the vault. All that was left were piles of ash.

“I apologize master,” Baron said, his mouth tilted in a slight smile, “I hadn’t realized my father placed destruction seals in the vault. He clearly didn’t want anyone taking his prized possessions.”

Reviled stepped into the vault and calmly looked around. Eventually, its gaze landed on a pile sitting in the center of the vault. Its claws dug into the ash, and it pulled out a leather book with an ivory ant motif on the cover. Baron stared in horror as Reviled brushed off the ash.

“Did you think a simple spell could destroy a necronomicon,” Reviled chuckled, “You should have consulted a mage if you wanted to destroy it,” Baron clutched at his chest and screamed in pain. Taela and Charolette held him, “Let this be a lesson. Now everyone leave us.”

They all bowed before leaving, and the door closed with a click. Reviled gently opened the tome and flipped through the pages. Necrotic mana danced across its arms and claws, and its core pulsed in response to Elithis’ magic. It stopped and its mandible snapped in excitement. Celebration of the Avatar glistened in black and gold across the top of the page.

“Wait, sweet child,” Reviled raised its head and stared into the rift in front of it. The clattering of chains seeped from the portal and hidden in the shadows was the Dead Goddess herself. Elithis reached out, her hands brushing Reviled’s face, “My sweet boy, it’s good to see you again.” Her honeyed words filled with love.

“Why should we wait?”

“Because I have a present for you,” Elithis sang while bopping Reviled’s ‘nose.’

The tome’s pages rapidly flipped over until it landed on an empty page. Black-red ink slowly filled the page. A diagram of a large mechanical construction took up both pages of the tome.

“With this, my son, you will be the greatest avatar to ever serve me,” Elithis whispered.

“But what about Solomon?” Reviled looked into the void, “If he returns, then we’ll most likely be destroyed.”

“Trust mommy, dear,” Elithis chuckled, “You won’t have to worry about him anytime soon. Stay calm and make smart decisions, and you’ll have plenty of time to make this.”

Reviled looked down at the diagram, “Very well mother,” it said, “We look forward to your gift.”

“Good boy,” Elithis petted Reviled’s head. When Reviled closed the tome, her hands dissipated into shadow. Reviled’s mandibles clicked with joy as it exited the vault.