I'm looking forward to this...what? Of course the author can look forward to his own writing! Sheesh!

This is an important warning: Some of this chapter's content is not for the weak-spirited, chances are it will creep you the Fuck out, I will be using the following indicator at the beginning and ending of such a scene:

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On with the show!

Chapter five: When the going gets rough... .

For a moment, Nico was unsure of what had just transpired. He remembered talking to himself, the malboro on his shoulder, and his newly acquired—what did Osrich call it? An automaton?—smashing the aforementioned thief through the floor. He now stood alongside his companions in a circle around the hole made by the impact, staring down into an apparent blackness. "Osrich? Are you all right?" Nico honestly believed that the man had been killed; no one could survive an impact like that as far as he knew.

To the surprise of those who stood above the hole in the stone floor, an irritated voice emitted from the opening. "Okay, I felt that one." The sound of debris shifting around became audible to those above as Osrich rose to his feet from the pile of stone below him. He began to dust himself off, and in doing so realized that the tiny malboro that had earlier held a death-grip on his hand was nowhere to be seen.

A series of squeaks and gurgling noises could be heard by all present as the creature in question scaled the side of the hole, leaving a shiny trail of slime behind it. The wall of the room below had been coated in dust and was proving rather difficult for the malboro to ascend, but in the end the creature was able to reach the top, only to find itself surrounded by several humans much taller than itself, including a rather intimidating man with a red cross on the front of his bright white tabard.

"What's this?" D'Altine stooped over to get a better look at the plant-like creature that had emerged from the hole. The creature was busy growling in Gwyff's direction and did not notice her until she picked it up. It turned its attention to her, but instead of the vicious growl it had directed toward the ex-templar, it emitted a gurgled purring noise.

"What is that thing?" Nico had come closer, but would not move into biting range.

"I think...it's a malboro." D'Altine examined the creature with a newfound curiosity. "I was unaware they could be so small...and I didn't realize there was such a thing as a purple malboro." Staring at the creature in her palm, she poked at it experimentally and blinked in surprise as it squeaked in response. Encouraged by the sound, D'Altine pulled on one of its tentacles lightly and released it as the malboro made a strained noise, and lifting it dangerously close to her face and chuckled as it licked her. It left slime on her face that glistened in the faint sunlight emitting from the shattered stained-glass windows of the monastery.

"Found him as a spore Ah did, thought he was edible." The gruff, thickly accented voice alerted all those around that the large man chained to a broken pillar had miraculously awakened. "Doesn' seem ter like men much, but he loves the lasses. Ah can deal wi' him 'cause he thinks Ah'm his mother." He rose to his feet, breaking the chains effortlessly as if he was unbound. "Now wha' was Ah doin'...Oi! Which one of ye made off wi' my weapons!" He began casting his eyes around until he caught sight of them leaning against another pillar. "Now why'd you have ter go an' disarm mae? Ah don' bite."

"Y-you don't remember? You tried to kill me!" D'Altine had her sword drawn while her free hand clutched the tiny malboro.

"Now why wou' Ah do tha'? Ah'd never draw mae blade against a lass." The inhumanly large man shook his head in disbelief, before straightening himself and bowing before them. "Mae name is Klintain Lattirsh, Ah'm here ter look fer treasures in the old monastery." He pulled a black feathered cap from a pouch on his waist and placed it upon his head as he stood up to his full height. Even in the dark, one could make out the shining silver and blue armour he donned, and the black cloak covering it.

"That armour...you are of the Lion's Guard?" D'Altine stepped away from Klintain in shock, her grip on her blade loosened in her surprise. The Royal Ivalician Lion's Guard had a reputation for being the most skilled swordsmen of all the nobility, outmatched only by the legendary 'Thunder God.'

"I don't think so. He doesn't carry himself right and I don't think a knight of the royal guard would be out plundering abandoned monasteries." Gwyff had a hand on the hilt of his weapon, ready to draw it at the first sign of trouble.

"Mae uncle was of the Lion's guard, he gave this armour ter mae as a gif' when Ah lef' Goug." The giant man strolled over to his weapons and began reattaching his various sword belts. "Now what wou' the lot of ye be doin' in a place like this? It's not a friendly place, what with all the bandits roamin' the countryside."

After gathering his courage, Nico spoke up. "I believe I saw your face upon the board of the watch in Dorter, you are a wanted man!" He stood in front of Construct Eight, obviously keeping his distance from the large man.

"As is yer Templar friend here, saw the bill for his arres' las' night on mae way he—bloody hell, yer all bandits aren' ye?" A look of astonishment came upon Klintain's face, but was replaced with a hearty smile. "Well what do ye know, Ah think Ah'm in luck...ye wouldn' mind mae joinin' would ye? Ah've got nowhere else ter go, an' Ah'm not exactly a patron of Ivalician law."

"This is sudden, why would we let you join us just like that?" D'Altine was wary of the man, but at the same time relieved that he was not hostile towards them.

"Ah won' draw against a lady, an' ah'm not fond of dyin'. Ye cou' also benefit greatly from my help, Ah'm goo' with a blade an' trained by my uncle as a Holy Knight." He puffed his chest out with pride, which had the effect of making him resemble a blowfish with legs, not at all impressive.

The sound of stone crumbling brought the focus of those around the hole in the floor to a rather dusty person crawling out. "You'd have to ask our so-called leader about that...wherever she is." Osrich dusted himself off, the traces of slime on his legs gleamed in the faint light. "Damn critter left goo all the way up the wall down there, made it damn near impossible to scale. Incidentally, I've found the wine cellar." He looked around him to find his companions at a battle ready stance and the man who'd tried to kill D'Altine standing armed and unharmed. "It's a bit dark in here, how about I brighten the place up?" The faint light from the monastery windows was replaced by the fluorescent glow of a blue orb produced from Osrich's pouch.

Gwyff shot a curious glance at the orb, but something else was on his mind. "Speaking of leaders, where exactly is—" He was cut off by a piercing scream from deep within the monastery, a scream that was all too familiar. "Rosary!" He charged in the direction from which the scream had come, into the dark.

D'Altine forgot all about Klintain, instead chasing after Gwyff, sword in hand and ready to fight off whatever was assaulting the mage. She could hear the clatter of armour from behind her and assumed that the Holy Knight was following.

Nico shook his head out of utter disbelief in his fortune. "Construct Eight, let us see if they require aid." The lumbering automaton fell in behind him, a loud thud echoing with each step it took.

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Dim light and faint shuffling sounds were the first things noticed by the young priestess Rosary as a state of wakefulness overtook her. Trying to move, she found her wrists and ankles to be tied down, an attempt to speak revealed to her a cloth covering her mouth, muffling her voice. Now fully awake, Rosary got a better look at her surroundings, noticing the dusty, worn bed to which she was tied, the stone walls with spider webs hiding the corners, an aged oak door with an inscription upon it, now worn down to an unreadable scribble, and Karunee, wearing nothing but her robe-turned jacket and wielding her sword in hand. The light cast by small candles created a giant shadow of the woman, resembling a great demon.

"It seems you're awake, good...that will make this far more enjoyable on my part." The one-eyed woman crawled onto the bed, sword trailing behind her like the tail of a demon and leaving a trail sliced into the bed.

Rosary shut her eyes in a panic as Karunee crawled over her, leaned down, and began to chew gently on her ear. She felt the woman bite a little harder, then the young priestess felt a burning pain on the side of her head as the woman on top of her bit her ear lobe off. She tried to scream, but the cloth over her mouth shut in her voice making all pleas for help futile, bringing on a feeling of sheer terror.

"Oh, don't close your eyes." The older priestess used her fingers to pry Rosary's eye open, holding a sharp knife in front of the young woman's gaze. "Let us dispose of that heavy robe shall we? It would make this so much more fun."

Rosary flinched as she felt the knife cut through her clothing, barely grazing the flesh of her neck as it made its way down, past her chest, lightly skimming her stomach, and finally reaching the end of her robe. The very same knife was used to slice the wielder's cheek, blood sliding down the polished blade like a snake in the grass. The sharp edge was brought to her face, the smell overwhelming the young woman's senses.

"If you scream, I will have to cut this short...and you as well." The one-eyed woman waved the knife over her captive's throat as a warning, before pulling the cloth away from the younger woman's face.

The knife was then held over Rosary's mouth, which was then forced open by her captor. The metallic taste of blood covered her tongue as she was forced to consume the blood from the woman above her. She shifted uncomfortably as the cloth was tied around her mouth once again to silence her; the knife was now held above her head, like a hailstone in the sky, threatening to drop at any moment. The side of Rosary's face felt like it was on fire as the blade suddenly slashed her from her hairline to her chin, then her legs began to burn as Karunee's sword came up between them and scarred the sides of her thighs. She gasped through the cloth as Karunee bit down lightly on the side of her breast and, holding her hands up, stabbed through the palm of her own hand. Upon the blade passing through her flesh, Karunee bit had bit down hard on Rosary, causing her to choke back a scream that would be wasted and gripped the leather bonds that held her down.

Karunee began to giggle, then chuckle, which slowly developed into maniacal laughter as she raised the blade high above her head and brought it down with a great deal of force into the younger woman's forearm, pulled it out, stabbed the other forearm, then pulled the knife out again. She then plunged it into her own leg, barely missing her main passage of life-blood, then brought her sword up and stabbed it through the calf of her captive, pinning her to the bed.

Rosary screamed into the cloth as blood filled her mouth, having bit her own tongue in agony. She'd lost feeling in her hands and her leg felt like it was burning, her chest ached from the bite, and her mind was in turmoil as someone she once thought was trustworthy now brutally tortured her in the closed room with no one else inside, no one to stop the burning pains.

"I can't have you drowning now!" Karunee pulled the blood-soaked cloth from her captive's mouth and closed in on her lips, sucking the blood out of the other woman, and cleaning the wounded area with her tongue before drawing back. "Such a sweet taste, such a young beauty, such a pure girl, and such a wonderful time I will have as I destroy your innocence!" The priestess' voice was distorted, hoarse from the heavy breathing as the speaker clawed at the flesh of her captive and her own. Her eye was wide open and her lips drawn into a crazed smile, showing her bloody teeth, as she leaned down and bit down once again upon her captive's breast with full force. "Come on, bring me my pleasure!"

Tears filled Rosary's eyes as the pain became more than she could bear. She writhed in agony as her captor stabbed her repeatedly in her arms and legs, and she felt the pain as the sword in her leg was pushed up towards her knee.

"Come on, just for me..." Karunee's voice sounded almost demonic now, as her throat grew dry. Then, in contradiction to herself, she spoke in a soft voice to her captive, "...scream."

Rosary pushed every ounce of energy she had left into the scream lasting for many seconds, before she lay back down on the bed, drained as hopelessness overtook her conscious mind.

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Gwyff charged down the narrow corridor, sword in hand as he searched for a sign of Rosary or what had made her scream. He came now to a thick wooden door from which light shined out underneath, partially illuminating the floor; from the other side he could hear sobs and gasps belonging to Rosary and another woman that he assumed to be Karunee. "Rosary! Hold on, I'll get you out!" He brought his blade over his head, and then slashed with all his strength into the door, only to be sent flying backward into the wall behind him.

D'Altine came across him as he was rising to his feet. "Gwyff? Is this the room?"

"Damn door's magicked, but there's no mistaking it...she's in there." He hacked at the door again, only to be sent backwards once again.

The sound of two pairs of heavy footsteps alerted them to the presence of Klintain and the automaton, Nico following behind them. "Ah've got it. If ye can' bring down the door, Ah'll smash the wall 'round it!"

"Constuct Eight, help this man enter the room." Nico pointed to Klintain and the machine obeyed. Its hand retracted and a spinning drill replaced it; using the drill, Construct Eight began to tear through the wall to the side of the door creating a hole from the top of the wall, slowly to the floor.

Klintain drew one of the many blades from his side and held it parallel to the wall. The blade began to glow, and the wall in front of him began to crack, and then crumble, before falling away. "Is everything all—" The sight beyond the broken walls brought utter silence to Klintain as he found himself at a loss of what to do.

Before them, on a rotten feather mattress was Rosary and Karunee in a compromising position and a disturbing amount of spilt blood. Karunee's sword had been thrust through Rosary's leg, and had been pushed up to the knee. Rosary's robe had been slashed, her skin bore many scratches and cuts, her arms and legs had deep gashes, and although Karunee showed similar wounds, she was instantly marked as the aggressor by D'Altine and Gwyff.

Charging forward, D'Altine dropped her blade and slammed her fist into the side of Karunee's head while Nico and Gwyff rushed to the crippled form of Rosary. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She was upon the woman again, lifting her by the upper part of the woman's coat, ignoring Karunee's lack of any other form of clothing. "I don't know what got into you, but this kind of betrayal cannot be forgiven."

The one-eyed priestess smiled, revealing her bloody teeth to the one holding her. "I told you all I had to claim my spoils, but you paid it no notice. Why all of a sudden the surprise? you've seen me fight, how I revel in the suffering of others...why should I be any different in bed?"

The knight slapped her before throwing her into the corner of the room. "I knew you were twisted, but I never figured you for the sort to betray your allies."

"It seems it was worse than I could have imagined...it looks like we'll have to deal with you accordingly." Osrich stood over the pair, his hands ready by his daggers. "There is a small dungeon here for dealing with heretics. I'll put her there until we figure out a suitable punishment." Osrich grabbed Karunee by the hair, brought her to her feet, and led her out of the room.

Rosary whimpered in agony, her vision was blurry and her arms and legs were numb. She could see the outline of someone in blue clothing holding something over her mouth; fearing it was the dagger or the gag, she tried to turn her head, but the most she could manage was to close her mouth. Despite her best efforts, she felt her mouth forced open and a cool liquid poured down her throat; it did not burn and it lacked the coppery taste of blood. She felt a warm feeling around her shoulders as sensation slowly returned to her limbs, could smell burning meat, taste the strange liquid's sugary taste, see flames flickering in the corners of her vision, and hears traces of conversation as her mind began to sort out what her ears received. As Rosary's vision cleared, she became aware that the one standing over her was Nico, a bottle of blue liquid was in his hands, his gloves burnt in places. Across from him, a pair of piercing gray eyes filled with concern and emotional agony gazed into the young priestess' own.

"Once she is able to walk, I will take her away from here." Gwyff gripped the torn bed sheets, fighting his own rage. "I will take her somewhere safe, where that woman can never harm her again."

"I hope you intend on coming back, without Karunee we'll be under strength." Osrich re-entered the room, a thick key in his hands and an exasperated expression. "It turns out that she doesn't like being put in a barred cell."

"What sane person would, and what are we to do with her?" D'Altine sat against the wall, watching as Nico administered a phoenix down to the wounded priestess, the self combusting feather sealing the more serious wounds. It had been only a few days, and already there was conflict between them. She put her head in her hands out of exhaustion; the shadows in the room did her no justice by inducing a migraine, making her wish she was back outside the monastery.

"Apparently she prefers a cell without any way to see out of it, I'm not sure why, but that's what she said." Osrich produced the glowing blue orb from his pouch and illuminated the room properly. "I think we'll hold her there as a sort of...permanent prisoner. We shouldn't kill her, she might be useful, and that would be far too kind." The thief shook his head and sighed.

D'Altine leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling as her thoughts ran back to her older brother Casol. He'd been betrayed too; stabbed in the back by his lieutenant and left to rot in enemy territory. She remembered the day they brought his body home, how she had been told to stay in her room but came out anyway, how the sight of his body strewn upon the cart had made her scream...it was too much for her at that age. The knight had never truly recovered from the shock of either of her brothers' deaths, she still suffered from nightmares, reliving the horror of seeing her brothers' corpses strewn out on carts.

"Ah think Ah'm in o'er my head wi' you folks." Klintain seemed to have recovered from his apparent shock. "Ah'm going ter head up an' look around,' see if Ah can fin' somethin' useful." The large man lumbered off down the corridor outside the room. A cloud of dust from the recent demolition of the wall gave his departure a sort of magickal look, as his form was obscured before he completely passed from view.

D'Altine heard a squeak and found the tiny malboro on her forearm, staring at her with its many eyes as if it was trying to console her; she poked it and it squealed in joy. She cracked a light smiled and leaned her head back. It had been a long day, and she decided she needed some sleep; she closed her eyes, and began to drift off... .

Incidentally, it turned out shorter than the previous chapter, but I felt that this was a good a place as any to stop, otherwise there would be too many words and you folks would be waiting too long. (Assuming people read this thing)

As you can see, Karunee has turned into quite the sadistic bitch, but that was to be expected. Also, Klintain's accent was originally supposed to be a Scottish one, but my inability to properly create that specific accent has mutated it into something I can't quite identify. However, I am happy with what it has turned into, and shall keep it thus

I hope you all look forward to the next chapter as much as I do!