Dark Priestess Side Chapter 1: Lies In Your House Of God? No Wonder He Has Abandoned You.

Fiona awoke from the sea of earth that had been her grave and began to dig out of it. She almost suffocated within it and was glad she could breathe the air once again, she didn’t know the amount of time that had passed since the day she was murdered but she was back. Her goddess kept her word, she would return into the world alive, living, breathing and everything that would be associated with life. She looked down on her clothes which had turned black just like her soul. They were made to hide her suggestive body, using the magic that she learnt to tailor the Hero’s clothes into clothed armor when she first began she readjusted the robe that was meant for the church of Zeumaxis. Now there were rips that exposed her long legs, the excess cloth that was used to hide her appealing body was removed and now it was being used to emphasize her body’s curves. 

Fiona felt a power dwell from deep within her and began to pace herself upwards to the light from the Devil’s Gorge. She climbed even faster which was hard to do had she maintained her original look, finally she got to the top and saw the desolate Demon King’s Palace. In curiosity she entered it and began to walk past the throne of the king, maybe because she had ignored it when she was last alive but there was a mirror located to the far end of the large room. She walked towards it and what she found surprised her at the same time it comforted her. Her white hair which was a sign in the Theocracy that one was chosen by Zeumaxis had turned into a black color, her skin which was already pale from being kept inside for a large reminder of her life was even more paler making her look almost like a ghost, her eyes were drowned in a sea of black with her irises dyed in hell red. She smiled as she looked at herself, she was beautiful, the goddess made her beautiful. At first she wanted to pleasure herself in celebration but she had no time to do such, her journey was back home, to the Theocracy, to the church of Saint Lewis.

✟

If one were asked what is the image of a cleric?They would say the person who is at the back of the party line supporting the entire party with spells that healed and buffed the members, that is something is normal but the scenery that was taking place was opposite of what was supposed to happen. Fiona from the moment she rose from the dead had felt that she was different, this was evidenced by first her intense bloodlust, second increased motor reflexes, third her increased understanding of the humanoid body. There was a horde of orcs who had seen her and taken her for a weak prey which they started to die immediately for. The staff of Caedmon had a peculiar appearance to it, it had a golden color with an array of sharpened spikes surrounding the Orb of Mary that was black as well. These spikes were what tore through the flesh of the orcs, cutting and smearing their bones with several spells that could have been associated with the mages, Fiona had then noticed that something was very odd about her but she didn’t stop killing them until they were all slaughtered. She then left one alive so she could follow it back to its nest where she could kill even more.

To her surprise there were many things that the orcs had gathered and fortunately enough there weren’t any human women amongst their group just female goblins and kobolds which she pleasantly killed as well. She found a black cloak that would aid in disguising her outward look, several food items needed for a long journey but strangely enough she felt like that need had vanished and the blood and gore of the slaughtered orcs was enough to sustain her and finally an array of weapons that were different from Caedmon. First was the morning star which had interested her which held natural in her hands, then next was the short dagger that could easily fit to her left side, a small knife which could be hidden in her sleeves if she readjusted it to her liking it would work as a hidden blade that would stab people as soon as she passed them, a tomahawk that she could throw at those from afar she rather tested throwing this to the corpse of a orc and it immediately returned into her hand. 

“How interesting, it’s a cursed item. How this fell into the hands of some orcs I do not know but I must thank them for finding such a thing”

She could see the spirits of the orcs cheer and dance at her needless praise, the goddess had granted her the ability to see spirits and souls. She sat down on the spot and began to craft the items together, she had taken to note what the sage Myne had done when she wanted to create something new. Magic engineering. Something she vaguely knew but was doing so with a proficiency that wouldn’t leave her far behind an amateur at the job but it was satisfactory. When Myne came back to life she would ask her to teach her even more.  Once she was done crafting the weapons together she then wore the cloak over her body and began to rapidly move to the west.

☆

It was just as she remembered it, the meadow was still the same with flowers that she picked for the church, she walked past them all as if in a daze. It was easy to get past the guards who protected the entrance to the town, the people were scared something she never noticed before when she was a nun who lived in this town. The great cathedral which was supposed to be at the center of the town was not there, the people just continued on with their lives as if it were normal. She then dropped the small bag that carried the food which was eating as she saw only burnt rubble and cobwebs, in her view was the small arched back of an old lady. She walked towards her with the premonition within her heart pounding, she stopped right before she placed the flowers down on the ground where the altar was supposed to be.

“Hello there”

“Yes?”

“I want to ask what happened to this cathedral?”

“Oh?This?Its a long story”

“Please tell it I have all the time in the world”

“The Saint you see was possessed by the spirit of the Demon King, as a result the Church decided to burn every trace of her being, what a sad thing that happened”

“What happened?”

“….I am afraid I cannot tell you, it was far too gruesome…”

“Please I am not faint of-”

“They called me a witch and burnt me on the stake”

The voice of her kind mother figure Joelle said this without a single tone of sadness in her voice. She looked right behind the old woman and saw her burnt body, her spirit had remained in this place waiting for her. Joelle who was there for her, who gave her hope had died a brutal and cruel death. This was her fate. But the old woman said even more things that made her begin to lose more faith in the world.

“It said that the father raped her and instigated the people to kill her as well, the men had their time with her and the women insulted her and beat her until the church itself came to burn her for her witchcraft. No one dared to help her, no one could….I was the only one who- dearest child are you crying?”

Fiona had been crying without noticing, the people who she helped everyday. The people who she loved, the people who she gave aid time and time again were the ones who caused this. Joelle didn’t say anything and instead she turned her gaze away from Fiona who was still distraught from hearing this, the regular tears ran out and soon they turned into tears of blood.

“Here is a handkerchief, to wipe-?!”

“Old Lady Bethel I thank you for telling me this. You’ve always been kind to me”

“It cannot be…Fiona….”

“I would like you to leave this town as soon as possible, you’re likely the last humanity I have left in this town. I will cause the same pain that they caused Joelle, they will face her suffering and apologize from their blood filled graves”

“please….don’t Zeumaxis would-“

“I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT ZEUMAXIS!!JUST GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!AND DON’T LOOK BACK KEEP RUNNING!!”

The old lady immediately ran upon the sight of the being who was no longer the Fiona she knew. Something had sparked within her, she already knew that she had darkness within her heart. That the abyss had transformed her into what she became, but held on the futile hope that the people would at least prevent or fought against such tyranny. No! They partook in it!Where were the teachings that she had taught them time and time again?Where had the good faith they daily said with their tongues everyday?The demons were far kinder than this, even they would bury their own dead and cry, what did they do for Joelle?Burn her and left her body to crumble into ash. They all had to pay. This region was fairly close to the border close to the barrier, Fiona walked out of the town as the rain clouds began to form within the sky.

☆

“Demons they say!They said you were enticed by demons!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT FOOLS!!IF IT IS DEMONS THEY WANT I SHALL GIVE THEM DEMONS!!”

“Fiona….If I were the usual me I would stop you but after knowing that you died and suffered such an excruciating pain during that time I want you to be merciless”

“Yes mother I will. BY THE DARK GODDESS GRANT ME THE POWER TO SUMMON BEINGS FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL!!GRANT ME POWER TO BRING FORTH THE NIGHTMARISH HELL HORDE THEY ARE SO AFRAID OF!!POWER TO BRING THOSE WHO BELONG TO THE UNDERBELLY OF THE DIMENSIONS!!”

A dark light began to cover Fiona as the thorn like tattoos on her body vanished and her skin became clear of them, she felt a surging power rise from within her.

“hahahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

As Joelle’s soul was being healed to return to its former form before she was burnt a blinding red color began to emit from behind Fiona who kept on laughing like a madwoman.

☆

In the middle of a bright sunny day the sky suddenly turned into a storm filled sky, the people were confused by the incoming storm that was coming. One of the priests left behind by the church had said today was going to be a sunny day, the ominous evil filled sky said otherwise. Then rain began to pour in hard as flame covered hail came, the people screamed as they ran to take cover from the hail that was falling from the sky, then they all heard ‘it’. A death filled shriek that arose from the meadow, the guards who were standing by all froze as they saw a mass of evil rushing towards them. The meadows were burnt to a crisp as the horde came from out of nowhere. In that moment the sky changed colors from a dark blue color to a deep red color as the nightmarish hell horde had appeared at their front gates.

“CLOSE THE GATES MAKE SURE THE DEMONS DO NOT ENTER THIS TOWN!!HURRY ALL OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!!TELL THE PEOPLE THAT THEY SHOULD HEAD TO THE CHURCH WHICH IS WITHIN THE CENTRAL WALL!!”

The holy knight stationed at the gate shouted orders as he saw the horde which was like a flood of red crash onto the iron gate without any concern for themselves. But that soon failed as the demons simply climbed or flown over the high walls and began to tear the guards and knights into pieces. The guards who were not used to this began a symphony of screams as the demons in their truest and vilest forms had come face to face with them as they stabbed them with their razor sharp claws and tails, some ripped their flesh with their teeth. The houses were burning, screams resonating within the frightened crowds, the demons were laughing and the smell of dampened flesh was still fresh on the ground. This was the very image of hell was being painted here as the demons were merciless to kill everything and one here. The leader of the knights who fought valiantly against the demon horde was impaled from the ass to the mouth with his eyes in complete despair as the demons had broken through the iron gate and filled the streets with pure red. The streets were being now beginning to flood with blood as they killed man and woman, old and young, none could escape their wrath filled bloodlust that had began to devour the town. It was a terror to behold. 

☆

The people were praying they were shaking in their boots, the children were crying with their eyes wide open, their parents unable to comfort them because they too were just like children albeit a different size. The priest was praying continuously, with verses from the bible being read in relation of what was happening. Then the screaming and shrieking stopped as if in cue to that, they couldn’t feel relieved just yet as the rain was still pouring down heavily from the sky, then footsteps were heard trodding their way into the place. Smoke was high in the air, the smell of flesh and blood was increasing from all angles. The door that had been locked by holy chains and seals easily broke as if they were done by someone who knew what they were. 

“And so they built another church after they burnt ours down, what a group of ungrateful scumbags.”

The people tensed up as they knew the sound of that voice, with a face warped in an evil smirk that stretched ear to ear and eyes that were swirling in an infinite darkness. The person they hadn’t expected in their wildest of dreams was here, she walked past all of them and soon reached the priest who was stationed here after her church was burnt down.

“DEMON I SMITE YOU IN THE NAME OF ZEUMAXIS!!”

“Oh knock it off, we both know very well that Zeumaxis isn’t here”

“………Ugh..”

“I have only one thing to ask, where the hell is Father Simon?”

“I will not answer to a demon!”

“Heh well then, I guess I have no choice, hey boys you can get out of your hiding places now”

To the shock of the people, the demons were already inside.  They were at every corner and now they reached even closer to the people.

“Starting from the children to the women to the men I want you to rip their little heads off, dismember them and make sure you torture them as slowly as you can”

“Hehahahahahahahaha”

The laughs of the demons were course and filled with an unnatural happiness, they were not satisfied with the bloodshed that took place outside. They all rounded up the children and one by one began to mercilessly rip their heads off.

“Have you no heart?!”

“I can say about you people as well?You took it upon yourselves to willfully ignore what I taught, you made Joelle suffer. You did not stand up for what is right, and now I am here to punish you all for being such sinful creatures undeserving of love and redemption”

“But…she was a witch!”

“Lying will do you no good you know? Zeumaxis abandoned me to die because he ordered such to happen and now you want me to merely sit back and watch as he lets the people who killed my mother go scotch free impossible”

“Father Simon was transfered to Walmarcia!!It is the truth so please show mercy to the children!”

The demons stopped ripping the arm off of a child midway and looked at Fiona.

“You can continue”

“Wha-?!”

“I never said I will allow them to stop neither did I say you were all safe from the divine punishment of the goddess, you will all suffer the same way she suffered. You will all be raped, beaten, insulted and burnt to a stake or impaled. That is the fate of such heathens such as yourselves”

“No wait”

“HeheheheheheheAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

The people’s screams as well as the priest’s echoed throughout the city, as nothing was truly left except burnt buildings and gore. The demons were not stopping at just the Town of Saint Lewis, but to all villages and towns until they reached Walmarcia.

☆

A horde of demons had broken through the barrier and began to destroy villages, towns, and cities in their unholy wake. Many holy knights before their demise to the demon horde killed them as well went to investigate the horrors of what happened to several areas, what they found was gruesome as the people were disemboweled and left hanging from their intestines with their wounded and tortured bodies put on display, impaled using numerous spears, ripped into pieces, decapitated, thoroughly tortured, dismembered amongst the things they saw. It was terrifying the lengths these demons would go as such the people had gathered in church of Saint Victor, they prayed to their god Zeumaxis everyday. They even fasted so the demonic threat could go away but as much as they wanted to believe in their small fantasies reality was far more cruel. Father Simon Hathaway was quietly sitting inside of his office folding his hands in prayer, as he finished quickly he slid his folded hands past his already receding hairline in clear distress. Normally prayer would calm him down but this wasn’t the case, it only lasted for a short period of time before his anxiety kicked up again. He looked several years older than he actually was, this was because the demon issue was worrying him. It made him shiver, no matter how strong he thought himself as, that would be useless in front of a horde of demons. Valor and strength was not inside of his veins perhaps in the dead saint Fiona yes but not him. 

“Oh god….please help me…..”

The bell for alarms rang and his heart dropped as he could feel the drums of death slowly but steadily beat its way to him. He grabbed the magic crystal which was located to his side, he contacted the main church in the capital.

“Hello, yes this is Simon Hathaway, are you sending the Winged Seraphs or not?”

“We’re not”

“Why?!The demons are going to reach the capital at this point if you do not send them”

“There is not enough time to prepare them, we hope that you escape as fast as you can. There should be an escape route beneath the church, even if the demons break the gate you would be safe”

“Thank you for the information”

Simon didn’t feel at ease being told this, he felt even more uncomfortable. It made him wish he could kill himself but that would be a sin against Zeumaxis, he decided to hold one last sermon before he escaped so he could at least send the people off to Zeumaxis as they died the torturous deaths they were about to experience.

☆

Fiona smiled as she watched the people die whilst calling for hope to Zeumaxis only to realize that he wasn’t coming. It made her feel all good and she almost wanted to cheer in happiness, this was her pleasure. Even as the rain clouds were gathering she was smiling as she looked at the city of Walmarcia whilst standing on top of a large spider type, suddenly she saw a crest of light cover the city accompanied by the loud hitting of the bell which was her signal. 

“Go”

The spider shrieked as it scurried over the landscape with increasing speed with the rain starting to pour making her soul feel immensely at ease with what she was about to do. The light barrier wasn’t done enveloping the city just yet, it was at that precise moment that the spider launched Fiona into the air towards the barrier taking out Caedmon which she strikes into the barrier that suddenly turns black and crumbles as if it never existed in the first place. She lands inside of the city and on the eastern wall, she quickly surveyed her surroundings and noticed the holy knights who were just as shocked to see her here. Simultaneously she pulled out the dagger which was on her left side and the hidden blade on her right immediately slicing open the throats of the holy knights beside her, before the leader could scream orders Fiona had thrown a morning star straight into his face. She leapt forward as the swords of the holy knights had already come close with a smirk on her face as she threw the tomahawk which began to behead many of them, before returning to her hand. She summoned Caedmon again and strikes one of the priests who erected the barrier down with ease. She stands in the midst of a newly born boneyard, smirking as she did so.

“Now then I am sure that this city has holy magic relic that is going to make the city gates impenetrable, they’ll be covered by the holy aligned magic, God’s Covering. Time to head there right now”

The rain kept on falling down from the sky with Fiona sprinting inside it, she felt free and happy. She kept on killing the people who were in her way, it didn’t matter whether it was a civilian or a soldier. She stopped suddenly before reaching the facility that housed the holy relic, with checking the cursed tomahawk which sprouted an eye that looked around with excited glee.

“Oh?I’ve awoken an ancient demon from all this bloodshed, hello there I thank you for taking care of me all this time. Please let’s continue being partners”

The cursed tomahawk made a growling noise as it grew in size into a battle axe which was far large than Fiona’s own body. It made several gurgled noises that prompted Fiona to swing it down on the ground shattering the earth as several knights who were running towards her are all grabbed by ungodly flesh skinned arms which begin to drag them below the earth to where their screams are never heard from again.

“That was very helpful, thank you - You’ve forgotten your name?How about I call you Azazel”

The cursed axe gave out a shrill noise that meant it was happy as it returned into its tomahawk state but this time it was in a pair which made Fiona smile as she walked towards the facility kicking its doors open. She threw the pair of cursed tomahawks at the knights which begin their dance of rolling heads. Fiona then makes a sprint towards the shining spinning holy relic, sending dark arrows that are driven deep into the heads of the knights who try to stop her. Fiona leaps into the air with Caedmon in hand and swings down on the relic which is a short sword. Upon making contact with Caedmon it starts to turn pitch black in color as the angel inside loudly screams and falls from divinity.

“Oh?They kept an angel inside of the relic?How interesting. But now the gates are just normal doors”

☆

“AS SUCH WE MUST BELIEVE IN THE HOLINESS OF ZEUMAXIS EVEN IF WE ARE TO PERSU-?!”

The sudden scream of a woman could be heard from the outside as the demons had already breached the city’s gates and were now flooding the city with their hordes, the buildings all around them started to have smoke rise to the crimson sky. Simon was unable to move because of fear, he knew that there was a secret passage below the altar but he still couldn’t move. The threat was very real, suddenly he felt an urge to shout whatever he wanted at that moment.

“GO!!ZEUMAXIS WILL GRANT YOU ETERNAL LIFE SHOULD YOU PROTECT THE CHURCH!!TAKE YOUR PITCHFORKS AND WEAPONS!!FIGHT FOR YOUR GOD!!”

This was to create more time for him, if he didn’t do that not even he would survive the hell horde’s massacre. The people being the sheep they are rushed outside and began to take things that could be used for weapons meanwhile Simon began to desperately search for the right switch to pull so he could escape. The door creaked open, Simon peeked out and straightened his back.

“I THOUGHT I SAID GO FIGHT FOR YOUR GOD?!DO YOU HAVE NO FEAR OF ZEUMAXIS THE ALMIGHTY?!”

“Its because I have no fear of him that I am here”

The voice scratched into existence gave Simon’s body goosebumps and an intense shivering, it was a demon casually entering the church. It was tall with a face that had six eyes, large pincer like mandibles, arms the size of logs and the body of a black furred beast. An abomination to creation itself. It walked with a simple step.

“No demon shall enter the holy house of Zeumaxis”

“House?No this is just an empty ruin, a place where any demon can dwell.”

“I smite you in the name of Zeumaxis”

“I do not believe a sinful creature such as yourself could ever smite me let alone in the name of your god”

“I-I am the holy priest of Zeumaxis I have power over all the demons of hell”

“That’s a stretch. You are the cause for our existence, holy?Do not make me laugh you are just as vile as the rest of us. You raped that sister didn’t you?”

“S-She was a witch I did not lay an single hand on her”

“Lies? In this sacred sanctuary? No wonder your church isn’t coming to your rescue, let me give it to you rough. Your God has abandoned you, left you to your own devices, he only exists to watch people suffer in pain and tribulation all while lying to them that he is their protector.”

“…..no….It can’t be”

“But it is, after all you sent your very own to her demise, I’ll wait with you until she arrives here. Do not try to pull that lever to escape, there are several more bloodthirsty demons down below scouring to maim anyone who is attempting to escape”

Simon’s face was dyed in despair as he knew exactly who was coming to this church, he wanted to make a prayer but the demon in front of him merely scoffed and laughed at his foolishness.

☆

As soon as the gates stopped working they all fell apart due to the combination of holy and fire attribute magic that was placed by Fiona, the city was filled with the numerous screams of the people. The demons tore the faces off of the people, burnt them alive on crosses, beat them senseless, devoured their organs whilst they were still alive, crushed their limbs and forced them to walk whilst laughing at them, used them as playthings. Debauchery was all over the city as the demons had taken over the city of Walmarcia, the church was the only place left. Fiona walked up the stairs and opened the door that led into the cathedral, she saw the demon she favored the most: Agares standing beside Father Simon to whom she smiles to.

“Well Father Simon we meet again, how’s these last two years been for you. Or should I call you Bishop Simon”

“F-Fiona please forgive me!I didn’t know what I was doing!I was forced to do it by the church!”

“Heh, it seems being a liar is natural to you well then it is time for me to judge you”

“WAIT I AM INNOCENT IN THE NAME OF-“

“Silence”

His voice immediately disappeared as soon as she said that, no matter how much he tried to speak he was unable to.

“Simon Hathaway, as punishment for the sins you have done you will suffer the violent and excruciating pain of rape. You will have your genitals ripped off and in the hole created will you be raped to death. The demons outside have an overwhelming amount of lust, that much I know. Let’s say it will last several hours maybe days before the church gets here.”

Agares ripped his holy garb off of him and dragged him by the hair  outside where the demons were cheering as the man they were looking for was here. They had all heard her judgement but that meant they would do everything that was connected to sexual pleasure including the gorier parts of it. Simon screamed as one of the imps grabbed his crotch and tore it off, as if waiting for that moment the demons then began their orgy of blood, screams and pain. This lasted for several days as Fiona had expected but even after his death, his spirit was with the demons who all grinned as they tortured him relentlessly. Fiona herself along with Azazel and Agares began to make their way back to the Demon King’s Palace.