[h2][center]Holy Utrye[/center][/h2] Holy indeed... How did it come to this.. A quiet village in the eastern plains sat deafening silent. Near the entire population of the town and a few heavily armed soldiers were massed in the center of the town. Awe was upon the faces of all in attendance, save the soldiers who stood bravely before them. The central event that had drew this group and its widened attention was the sight of two freshly severed heads, and the still warm bodies that used to host them laying neatly upon the ground. "You.. you there." A young woman's voice confidently commanded. "Come here." Tears began to line the eyes of a older woman as she obediently approached the young woman. "Please, Please spare me. We have nothing here but love of our goddess." she said calmly. The young woman slowly shook her head. "You do not sound convincing." She said, pointing towards the two dead bodies. "Those two did not share love. Prove that you do." "Oh Godess." The old lady said as she closed her eyes and turned her face to the sky. She began to pray, seemingly delighting the young woman who turned her attention away. "You see. To love her is to bask in her divine light. Why do you people bar her light?" The group of people all at once dropped to their knees, blindly gazing to the sky. Except one man. He stood stoically in the face of the young woman. Sneering at her in clear defiance. "Inquisitor or not, this is clear violation of our laws! There is no taint of what ever you refer to as witchcraft. There is no evil here, only the light of the prophetess." "An educated fool, I AM the law." the young lady brazenly declared. "However, you might be of help." she said with a growing smirk. "My name is Inquisitor Elise, and I know there is someone of ill beliefs present. As this man who seems to have a firm grasp on the situation, that there is evil afoot.." The man interrupted, "I said there is no evi-" His words were silenced as Elise reached her left arm towards him. Stretching from her hand was a sickening energy, a vague black cloud that with utter clarity grasped his neck. Elise' sight narrowed as the now powerless man's face began to turn red. "I.. am..." he said, gasping for air. "I am..." Elise replied. "I am to be judged by her glory.". It was her last words to him, as the blood in his head forced its way from his mouth, nose and eyes. The educated mans crushed head swiftly splattered against the ground, followed by a heavy thud from his body. "I grow tired of these games." she said to the group. One female rose from the crowd, "I." she said, pausing while looking to the ground in shame. "I have seen the evil." Her gaze rose to meet Elise, who was rapidly approaching. "It was noises at first, then I saw hooded men walking into the forest." Elise stopped her march mere inches from the woman, replying with a deep stare. She withdrew a pair of brown gloves and gently pulled them one at a time onto her hands. Elise's grip rose to meet the woman's face. Her palms firmly laying upon her cheeks. Elise leaned in, and cocked her head to the side before closing her eyes. There were a few moments of silence before the woman's eyes began shedding tears from not only fear of what was next, but pain from the pressure Elise was applying. Heavy breaths, almost as if there were passion between the two, blew warm air over the teary eyed woman's face. "I can feel the Goddess light within you. Your words are true." Elise said while releasing the woman, who rapidly fell to her knees. Elise cared not for the woman and coldly turned away. "Shall we?" she said, motioning to the other warriors. As they formed on her, Elise announced to the crowd, "You are all free to go. Bask in the Goddess' light and you will never fear evil... for she will be your sword and shield." A strange feeling washed over Elise as her attention turned to the tree line. Figures began to emerged, hooded figures that began to draw weapons. The townsfolk moved to Elise' side, who mere moments before terrorized them. "We stand by your side. The Goddess will protect us." Elise acknowledged the group, who even weaponless and unarmored stood in the face of this well equipped force ahead of them, with a strong nod. "Stand tall. We will defeat them as one." Elise gripped her sword tight then strongly thrust it upright towards the sky. Without warning or any understandable force, dark clouds began to form and then proceed to swirl overhead, shadowing the area. "Fear not the darkness!" she shouted, with a voice that seemed to shake the very world. Elise stepped to the side and swung the swords tip towards the group of warriors. With a thunderous crash and a near blinding burst of light, a ray of pure brilliant energy burst fourth into the crowd of men. Screams could barely be heard as their bodies began turning to ash. With a devilish smile, she gazed down her now red hot glowing blade. Visible heat and steam arose from it as she gently lowered the weapon towards the ground. "The Goddess will judge you now." She said before turning to the cheering villages, but their cheers turned to fearful cries as even more hooded figures emerged from the tree line, in far greater numbers. "Again?" Elise said, now obviously frustrated. "What do we do now!" the older lady from earlier cried, fearing the growing number of figures appearing from the forest. Elise's frown began to fade as the ground shook once more, but this time not from her hand. The unified roar of marching and the thunderous quaking of heavy metal beating against the ground drew the attention of not only the townsfolk, but the figures as well. From over the horizon, they could all see the horde approaching, and from them the banners were becoming visible, clear symbols of the inquisition. "What is happening?" one villager said. Elise's answer was swift. "Salvation has arrived." ---Hours later--- The stench of burning bodies had finally died down as Elise walked through the now crowded village. Soldiers had begun repairing the buildings to pristine condition. In the field nearby, soldiers planted crops and flowers. It was a reward for the villages steadfast defiance of evil. Elise made her way through the village towards the towns largest cabin, the villages inn. And from inside jubilation could be heard, a true sign of victory. Elise's eyes closed as she basked in the sunlight and an genuine smile spread across her face, "The Goddess saves." - - - - [hider=Elsewhere] All seems quiet along the borders of Utrye. A peaceful, yet eerie silence. [/hider]