Jack phased through the walls of the church. He was an unseen observer. Invisible to most creatures in the world. But if anyone could see him, his form was shifting and swirling like smoke.
He continued moving. He passed through the hidden passage. It was a narrow, damp tunnel that snaked beneath the church. He floated along the tunnel for some time. And finally, he found himself in a large, circular stone chamber.
Amaranth was there. He stood in the center of the chamber. But she wasn't alone. Standing with her were Father Lucca and Elder Kinderman.
Jack raised his non-existent eyebrows. He thought the drunken priest was outside, being subdued by the inquisitors. He was also sure that the village chief was still outside when he entered the church.
It seemed that these people did possess some strange mystical abilities.
Jack observed them more carefully. They weren't looking at each other. They didn't even look at Brother Elkey who had just reached the chamber.
Instead, they were facing a dark corner of the room. Jack's ethereal senses tingled with recognition. He sensed the powerful and complex supernatural auras emanating from the trio. And he felt even stronger malevolent aura coming from the dark corner.
"You shouldn't have come here, Elkey," Lucca said. His voice no longer sounded slurred. Instead, it was firm and resonant.
He held the strange, ornate dagger in his hand. The one that was confiscated by the inquisitors just some moments ago. Now, its blade was shimmering with an unnatural light. The 'drunk' priest was gone. It was replaced by a formidable figure of quiet strength.
"We tried to warn you," Kinderman added. His usually kindly face now was stern and resolute.
He held a gnarled staff. Its top was carved with the image of a snarling wolf. The bumbling village chief had also vanished. He was now a shaman with an undeniable presence.
Brother Elkey was undeterred and unwilling to compromise. He raised his blessed sword and roared in rage. "Heretics! Blasphemers! You will all burn for this!"
Amaranth stepped forward. Her eyes glowed with an inner light. "You don't understand," she said. Her voice calm but filled with power. "We are not your enemy, Elkey. We are trying to protect this village, this kingdom, from something far worse."
"Lies!" Elkey spat. "You consort with demons! You practice dark magic! You will be judged!"
He lunged at Amaranth. His sword was aimed at her heart. But before he could reach her, Father Lucca stepped in front of him. He parried the blow with his ornate dagger.
The clash of steel against metal echoed in the chamber, followed by a surge of energy that sent Elkey staggering back. Lucca moved with a speed and skill that belied his former drunken demeanor.
Elder Kinderman raised his staff, chanting in a language that Jack didn't recognize. The air around them shimmered, and the shadowy corner of the room seemed to retract. It was as if something summoned from the abyss was being held back.
At that moment, following their leader, the inquisitors charged forward. They tried to attack any of the three villagers in the chambers.
Amaranth snorted and waved her hand. Misty smoke appeared into wisps. They moved like ethereal flying snakes, targeting the approaching inquisitors.
The wisps Amaranth conjured coiled around the inquisitors, choking them, disorienting them. They coughed, swung wildly, but couldn't break free.
Father Lucca, surprisingly agile, was still clashing against Brother Elkey. Their moves were simple and practical.
They didn't use fancy acrobatic dance like in martial art movies. But their clash was still fierce and inhumanly powerful.
Elder Kinderman, however, just stood there, chanting. The shadows in the corner pulsed, growing weaker, less menacing.
Then, it happened.
Elder Kinderman stopped chanting. He raised his staff, not at the shadows, but at Amaranth. A wave of pure energy erupted from the staff, slamming into her. She cried out, thrown against the stone wall.
Father Lucca roared. He evaded Brother Elkey's slash and turned to charge to Elder Kinderman.
But the village chief was too fast. He took an ugly amulet, broke it, and slammed his staff to the ground.
Another blast of energy appeared. This time it was an indiscriminate blast. It generated a reddish energy wave that rippled in an unstoppable manner. It target everyone in the chamber.
Father Lucca roared in pain and stopped in his track. He crumpled, clutching his chest. Brother Elkey also screamed and fell on his knees. Amaranth, who was about to stand up, dropped down once more.
The common inquisitors were worse. They spat blood from their mouth. Their eyes were blood-shot. Their nose and ears were bleeding.
Even Jack, the invisible observer, felt the energy wash over him. It stung him, like static electricity turned into a burning brand. He dropped down to the ground. Still invisible, but injured.
He was a ghost, damn it! How could he be affected? This Kinderman was more than just a doddering old village chief.
Elder Kinderman laughed. It was a harsh, grating sound.
"Fools!" he bellowed. His voice was amplified by some unseen force. "Did you really think me so naive? So… incompetent?"
He gestured to the injured Amaranth and Lucca. "You two, especially! You thought you could control this power, keep it locked away? I, Figmount Kinderman, will become the owner of this power!"
He pointed a trembling finger at the kneeling Brother Elkey. "And you… your presence here isn't coincidental. You are just another pawn for my game."
Jack cursed silently. A cliché villain speech. He hated those.
"It was I," Kinderman continued, seemingly savoring the moment. "... who sent the anonymous reports to the churches, painting Amaranth as a witch. The evidences? Fabricated, of course. Child's play! And the doll… yes, I manipulated it, guided all you zealous fools to this very chamber. Everything, everything, was orchestrated. Everything was in my plan."
"Why?" Amaranth gasped, struggling to sit up.
Elder Kinderman's eyes gleamed with manic glee. "To gather enough power, of course. And also enough… vessels!"
He gestured around the chamber. "A witch, a conflicted priest, zealous inquisitors… all with their own unique brand of supernatural or faith-based energy. A perfect confluence for the ritual!"
"Ritual?" Father Lucca managed to croak out.
"My newly discovered technique," Kinderman explained, practically vibrating with excitement. "To bind the power of that thing… into my own being. Through your sacrifice, of course."
The shadows in the corner writhed. The chains that bound whatever lurked within rattled ominously.
Kinderman began chanting again, his voice rising in pitch and intensity. The air crackled. The shadows pulsed.
Suddenly, the chains snapped.
A figure clawed its way out of the darkness. It was vaguely humanoid. But it was twisted, deformed.
Its skin was a sickly grey. It stretched taut over its bone. Its eyes glowed with malevolent red light. Razor-sharp claws dripped with viscous black ichor.
The thing turned its gaze upon the assembled group.
Kinderman remained unfazed. "Yes… feed! Devour them! And then, that power will be mine!"
The demonic entity didn't need to be told twice. It lunged.
Brother Elkey, still recovering from Kinderman's earlier wide-ranged attacks, was the closest. The entity chose him as the first victim.
Elkey screamed. It was a high-pitched, terrified sound that ended abruptly.
The entity ripped him apart. Its claws tore through flesh and bone as if they were paper. Two other inquisitors met similar fates. Their screams were quickly silenced by the creature's gruesome feast.
Jack watched, repulsed. This wasn't some vengeful creature he could reason with. This was pure, unadulterated evil.
The entity paused. It lifted its head. Its jaws were dripping with blood. It seemed to savor the taste of its victims.
Then, it began… eating. Not just killing, but consuming the remains of the inquisitors. Bones crunched, organs gurgled. The smell was nauseating.
Amaranth retched, turning away. Father Lucca was pale and sweating. He weakly gripped his dagger. The rest of the inquisitors were even more terrified.
Kinderman, however, was ecstatic. "Yes! Consume! Grow stronger! And then, all that power will flow into me!" He spread his arms wide. As if to embrace the horror unfolding before him.
Jack felt a surge of anger. This wasn't about upholding justice anymore. This would just be a plain fight against filthy trash in human guise. The power-hungry lunatic was willing to sacrifice everyone for his own twisted ambition. He would never let him succeed.
He had to do something. Quickly. He felt his power regenerate. But it was too slow. He could try to use simple nightmare to disturb the connection of the creature and Kinderman.
It would be similar to what he did to Sheton Orblack, the witchdoctor in Lotogear City. But Kinderman's connection seemed to already be establish. The link felt incredibly strong.
Jack glanced at Amaranth. She was clutching a small pouch. Her fingers moved over it while her mouth mumbled as if she was praying.
Father Lucca was not far from her. His gaze was fixed on the entity. His face was grim. But his weak grip on his dagger was still there. He also seemed to be muttering something.
They were defenseless. But they seemed to have plan.
Jack balled his spectral fists. Time to improvise.