Shattered Moonstone

Hecatolite walked with her eyes clenched shut as she tried to imagine being anywhere but in the back of the cart. She felt a chill as she felt magic wash over her, the smell of blood becoming stronger as she passed the threshold of the illusion.

               “My gods.” She heard Alastair whisper above her causing her to open her eyes, her heart sinking as she did.

               Chained to the back wall of the cart was what could only be described as a horror scene. Hanging there was the torso of a woman, her arms and legs mere stumps left to bleed causing the back wall to be coated in dried blood. Her head hanging limply down obscured by long dark hair, its color indistinguishable due to being caked in blood. Sprouting from her temples however were two long horns that curled like that of a ram, one of which had been crudely broken hallway down. Nailed to the ground beneath her looked to be two bundles of leather.

               “What… Did they do to her.” She shook as she looked at the woman who twitched slightly at the sound of her voice.

               “Back for more fun?” She asked, her voice hoarse as she spoke in an ancient  guttural tongue.

               Hecatolite’s mine reeled as she recognized the language, it was one she knew from her fragments, an old one.

               “A Demon.” She whispered in the same language as the woman whose head shot up when she spoke.

               What looked back at Hecatolite was the battered face of what was once a beautiful woman, her eyes bloody holes as she grinned.

               Even without eyes Hecatolite’s skill activated as she looked into the empty sockets, her body jerking as the woman's soul exploded into her vision.  What looked back at her was a beautiful woman, her soul a rose pink with wisps of pinkish smoke wafting off it. Her soul seemed to smile, surprising her as she could see clearly defined lips as the woman looked back rose-colored eyes. Two gorgeous black wings sprouted from the soul’s lower back, curling around it obscuring her lower body, atop her head were dark black horns that curled back from just above her temples standing out as a stark contrast to the rest of the soul’s pinkish hue. She felt an inviting warmth emanating from the soul, along with a slight… alluring pull as the pinkish smoke seemed to fill the area. Hecatolite felt this was the soul of someone she could trust which given the state of her body caused her blood to boil with anger as she blinked the spell away.

               “You’re not the man who pulled my wings off.”

              Hecatolite's whole body seized when she spoke, her stomach twisting as she shook.

               Alastair looked away from the mutilated woman, his blood boiling as he attempted to calm himself. Though he himself had no love for demons, the excessive act of dismembering someone regardless of who or why struck a nerve in him he could not overlook. He looked down at his daughter, her eyes locked on the woman who was hung crudely on the wall; her body shaking as the black lines on her body seemed to pulsate as they grew. The two seemed to be having a conversation in a very harsh sounding language he had only ever heard Hecatolite use while angry.

               “Hecatolite.” He said reaching down to brace her shoulder.

               “I… I will kill him.” She whispered as the world around her bowed outwards, just as he was about to grab her shoulder her body seemed to flicker as she vanished.

               He let out a surprised gasp as the wooden floor beneath him exploded causing him to fall to the hard stone floor beneath. The echoing sound of his daughter’s distorted voice ripped through the man as he heard the rage in her voice.

               “You called me a monster!?”

               Everyone stood stunned as they looked back at the priest who was gasping for air as two tiny hands gripped his throat. Kneeling on his chest was the body of a small girl, her face twisted in anger as her black eyes locked onto the man as he thrashed beneath her, all her exposed skin was covered in black lines as inky black tears seemed to roll down her cheeks.

               “You mutilated that woman! Tore her wings from her back! Why!?” She screamed as she forced him into the ground, the stone beneath them cracking as she did. “Answer me!” She growled as she tightened her grip, it was clear that she had not realized he could not speak as she strangled him.

               His whole body convulsed as he began to glow green in a futile attempt to heal himself.

               “Hecatolite!” A stern voice snapped as Taaffeite appeared beside them. “He cannot speak if you're choking him.” Her voice became soft as she gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let him go and let's talk.”

               “No!” Hecatolite snapped as the image of the mutilated body was fresh in her mind.

               Kill him. A voice hissed in her mind. He’s a monster, he will hurt you. He will hurt your family. Look what he did to that woman. The voice goaded her on as she watched the man's eyes start to roll back, his thrashing becoming weaker.

               Her mind was flooded with images, people in various states of dismemberment. Faces frozen in fear as their bodies were pulled apart, screams of men and women being tortured. The images of men with perverse smiles on their faces coated in blood as they stood over broken bodies.

               He is just like them! the voice whispered. He doesn’t deserve to live.

               She felt Taaffeite tugging on her arms as the man’s eyes started to close.

               Don't kill. A memory came forward as her sister’s voice rang in her mind causing her grip to loosen slightly.

               She was standing next to a man strapped to a metal table, his body was covered in burns. Each of his fingers ended in bloody nubs as if his fingernails had been crudely ripped out. His face battered and bloodied as he looked up at her with hatred. “Just tell me where they are, and this will be over.” An alien gruff masculine voice came from her mouth and a large pale hand roughly grabbed the man’s hair. He looked up at her and opened his bloodied mouth. “Fuck you, monster.” The man spat blood into her face causing her to jerk back.

               She quickly released her reinforcements as her hands slid limply from the man’s throat as she was quickly pulled back away from him. Alexa rushed in to check on the man, after a moment a ragged breath could be heard coming as the man took a deep breath.

               “I… I’m sorry.” She said weakly as she could feel her mother’s warm hand rubbing her back.

               The man again flashed green as he sat up. His eyes locked on her; her eyes flashing black as he began to scoot back only to be stopped by Alexa who was still inspecting his throat.

               “Demon!” His voice was raspy, almost a whisper as he began to croak out a prayer. “O Heavenly Father, please forgive me, protect me from this monster.”

               Hecatolite growled as she jumped from Taaffeites arms, lunging for the man as everyone scrabbled to stop her as her claws flashed into existence. Taaffeite grabbed at her only to be pulled forward as Hecatolite simply pulled from her grasp, the black veins on her body pulsed as she seemed to move at unbelievable speeds. Alexa, out of shock, attempted to shield the man with a wall of ice, letting out a slight yell as a small claw burst through the wall as it darted for the man.

               They all watched in horror as the claw inched closer to the screaming priest's chest, it stopping a inch before his ribs.

               “Your god can't save you from your sins.” Hecatolite hissed as she grabbed the small glowing orb in his chest with the tips of her claw, she violently pulled her hand back pulling the orb from him as he let out an ear-piercing scream.

               Alexa watched as the priest fell limp onto the ground, a small white flame on his chest as the smell of ammonia filled the air. Her own eyes flashing black as she activated her soul sight, the man’s soul was laying down, the white flames outlining a hole in its chest. She looked at her sister, her blackened soul standing; holding a small golden orb in its claws that it was looking at with disgust. For a moment Alexa thought she would eat it only for her to snarl as she threw it aside, leaving a white trail of flames as it burned to nothing before landing.

               A Babylon terminal flashed into existence before them.

               “Skill; soul dissection acquired. Skill: soul dissection assimilated into Soul magic mastery.” Its crimson red screen flashed yellow. “Favor of Valor removed from Joshua Ludwig, former priest of Valor. At least you did not eat this one.”

               “Wait, Favor of Valor. Not a blessing?” Hecatolite asked as Taaffeite roughly grabbed her and lifted her from the ground.

               “Not a blessing. You removed his connection to his god, his baptism if you will. And a small portion of his soul. He will live if you are curious, but I doubt you care.” Its annoyed voice fading as it vanished.

               Hecatolite went to reply only to be violently spun in her mother’s arms finding herself face to face with a clearly furious Taaffeite. “And what was that all about?” She asked, her voice not showing even a hint of the anger in her eyes.

               Taaffeite watched as the black veins on Hecatolite slowly disappeared, the black streaks from her tears still visible on her cheeks as she seemed to shrink in her arms.

               “I think this was the problem.” Alistair’s voice called as he stepped out of the destroyed cart holding what was left of a woman’s body. “When he said there was a succubus in the cart, he failed to mention that it was the remains of one."