The monster wearing a Crusader's skin gathered speed as it rushed towards you, its feet slamming against the ground. You tested your balance, putting your weight on one foot, and then the other. If there was one thing you knew would happen that this beast couldn't stop, it was the fact that its current speed would keep it moving.
It came closer and closer, sword high in its hand, and you held your own blade loosely; gripping it white-knuckled wouldn't help your combat ability. You heard its laughter, the sound gargling with blood and phlegm from its damaged throat. It was so sure of itself.
You allowed yourself a small degree of vindictive satisfaction as you leapt aside, watching its eyes widen by a fraction in confusion. It really wasn't prepared. That confusion became howling rage as you threw another smite at its damaged leg. The limb came off with a sickening tear, and the monster was left howling on the floor.
"Not so sure when you have problems even moving, are you demon?" Just had to break it down a little more. The more you could force it into a rage, the easier it would be to kill. And if, by some cruel twist of fate, it escaped, it would be careless about its vengeance.
"When this is over, brat, I'll make sure to leave your pretty little ears intact. I've been told that mutilating the rest and leaving a finger on each hand for eating is a surprisingly effective punishment." It used its sword as a lever, pulling itself forward along the floor by jamming it between the stones. "And you'll get to hear the gasps and cries of those that see your twisted face. Oh, yes…. I'll enjoy watching you react to the lamentations of your oh-so-dear charges."
"Be quiet." You barely even heard the words come out of your mouth, but you lunged as they hissed forth, striking at the left hand while the sword hand was close to its head. It tore the sword out of the floor and swung, but you jumped back in time to see the High General circle around you, axe high. With a roar, she brought the blade down on the monster's head, breaking the spine and severing the neck completely. There was silence for a long moment, and you found yourself breathing harder than you expected. You watched the corpse as the General prodded it with the axe's haft-spike.
"We must take the body somewhere secure, General. If we can determine the magics used in its animation, then -" The High Abbot was the first to speak, but Abbendis waved her hand wearily, cutting him off.
"I know, Landgren. I know." She turned to you, the cold stare from earlier replaced by a clear concern. But you got the feeling it wasn't for you. "The events of today… I can only say that…" She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I can only say that you are, as of now, exonerated. I cannot imagine the Scourge sending a creature such as this to kill one of its own agents, and the way it spoke implied that you were more use to it dead than alive." Her eyes narrowed. "But that leaves me with the question of how my sources were incorrect."
"General?" Morlune spoke, sounding less curious than worried.
"Not now, Commander."
"No, General… The corpse is moving." Your gaze shot back to the body, which was, indeed, shifting. But it wasn't getting up. It was pulsing, as though filled with too much of some bubbling liquid, heaving and creaking as bones were put under extreme pressure and incredible duress.
Suddenly, out of the severed neck flew a cloud of ebon bats, spilling forth like an unholy torrent. You heard a roaring like that of an animal, wild and uncontrolled. The swarm sounded like a fell wind, whistling and deafening and terrible. You held a beacon of light before you, and the cloud of beasts split around you. You could barely see Abbendis, but you heard a scream behind you.
The bats whirled around the cathedral, a torrent that seemed to beat against your resolve like a hammer. Finally, they lessened in number, and then dissipated, and you saw the last few flying out of the open doors.
You looked to your allies. Morlune was surrounded by a spinning sphere of runes. Abbendis was in a similar state. The three Crusaders were standing in a crimson circle that glowed on the floor.
And the High Abbot was a bloody heap some distance away.
"Landgren!" Abbendis rushed over, still surrounded by her runes, a healing spell already in her hand. The Light washed over the priest's still form, and many of the lacerations disappeared. "Damn. Why isn't he waking?"
"Perhaps the injuries were also magical in nature? If this creature was a demon, then it wouldn't be a simple matter to heal wounds caused by its raw power, I imagine. The doom guards summoned by the orcs were deadly even if the wound itself wasn't traditionally fatal, so a demon of greater power might be just as dangerous." Morlune walked over, kneeling next to Abbendis and Landgren.
"Perhaps," the General sighed. "I wasn't expecting the need to pore over tomes of demon-lore in order to determine the nature of my enemy when I arrived." She turned to Morlune. "Are there any such books in your Abbey, Commander?"
"Precious few, if there are." He stood, hammer still in his hand. "I can have the acolytes search for any that we have, but even those might be restricted to what we knew at the time of the Second War."
"Please do." Abbendis stood. "You three! Bring the Abbot to the Abbey! He will need more attention than we can provide here at the moment." The Crusaders nodded, all three apparently deciding that contributing to the conversation wasn't worth the General's ire at this particularly stressful time. Once they were gone, and the unconscious Abbot with them, she turned to you. "Now, I have to say…" She grimaced. "I was wrong. My sources were wrong." Her lips twisted into a growl as she left the implicit apology unsaid.
"I apologize if I failed to provide the information you sought." Better to mollify than to draw unwanted anger. "But you said that your informants believed I am a Scourge agent?"
"They aren't informants. They're sources." She held her chin with her thumb and forefinger, and she sighed again. "What are your plans, Miss Jeanne?"
"I don't understand?" Was she asking what you thought she was asking?
"I mean this: one, how much are you planning to dedicate to our cause? Two, will you be ready when we call upon you?" She was leaning towards you, and you were once again left with the inevitable recoil that came from someone nearly a foot taller standing in front of you. She was looking down at you with an intense expression.
"I have decided to inquire into joining the Crusade, if that's what you mean." You crossed your arms in an attempt to maintain composure. "And any battle against the undead is righteous, and He surely wills it."
"And you will contribute even if called to destroy the darkest hive of evil in this region?"
"General! You can't possibly mean that…" Morlune's exclamation drifted off.
"Young Sir Maddox has given me no set date, but if it comes to that, I expect you," she prodded your arm for emphasis, "to join the battle. You may not be an actual agent of the Lich King, but my sources have told me more than simply that, and I'll be watching you very closely." She stood back, hands on her hips. "So?"
[] What do you do?
