[Trigger warning this chapter has content that maybe be unsuitable for some readers ]
Her vision slowly came back into focus. There was a ringing in her ears from the loud noise. She hesitantly looked behind her; the guest room was covered entirely in blood, the ceiling and walls dripping with pieces of flesh and bone fragments.
Lina's body wool was utterly soaked, her white fur stained red with specks of flesh.
The epicentre of the explosion originated from where her mark was sleeping.
Broken wood, bone, gore and ripped sheets lay where a bed once existed.
Bone shards and splinters were impaled into the wooden walls.
"What the hell?"
She looked at the amulet she had just removed from his neck moments before she headed for the door.
The three red shards set into the golden amulet glowed bright red and felt warm in Lina's hands.
Suddenly, she felt a burning sensation on her right hip. Looking, she saw a long bone fragment embedded in her side. Lina suppressed a cry of shock as she held her hand around the bone shard. Blood seeped through her fingers.
The sheepess left the room, leaving bloody footprints on the oaken floor.
Quickly, she descended the stairs, almost tumbling down them, smearing blood on the wall and the bannister.
~~~~~~~~~~
The tavern keeper saw Lina and rushed to her.
She was dazed and shivering, and she realised she was still naked! Her clothes were still in the room.
The keeper held her and shook "What the hell happened up there? Did you get the amulet? What was that screaming? Why are you covered in blood?" he shouted at her.
But could not hear him, only the ringing in her ears.
His eyes widened when he noticed the long bone splinter in her side.
"By the Divas!"
He held Lina and guided her into the cellar. It was wall to wall filled with barrels on racks. The space barely fitted both of them as he took her to a giant oaken ale barrel. He reached out and twisted the spigot, opening the barrel head like a door.
"I don't have the means to heal you here! Get to the Safe House before you bleed out!" he said as he pushed her through. Even though Lina couldn't hear him, she recognised the secret escape. She had to get out of here before the mark's friends came looking for him.
What's left of him....
Lina walked through the wooden structure, down stone steps into the secret passage, and emerged into a dark sewer.
She was handed a lit torch and gestured towards a path
"Divas keep you and don't stop! I have no idea what lurks in there!"
The tavern keeper sealed the secret wall behind her.
The long bone fragment in her side was starting to burn intensely.
Lina hurried through the small, slinking passageways. The Nausea from the bone shard in her side, the stench of rot, and the soft squashing sensation of where her bare feet tread made her gag.
Rats scurried out from cracks in the walls, squeaking excitedly as they lapped the splatter of blood she left behind.
She dared not stop as rumours of other things lurking down here could erode the flesh off your bones.
The exit way was ahead; stone steps up and out of the sewer works. She emerged into an alleyway, and the cool night air flowed around her naked body.
She threw up bile before the burning sensation at her side reminded her to keep moving.
Collecting herself, Lina hobbled out of the alley and into the streets.
The red trail Lina left behind would betray her if anyone were looking for her, but she couldn't afford to be cautious. She was bleeding out.
She clutched the gold amulet to her chest and made haste through the alleyways and streets.
~~~~~
She rounded a corner and arrived at the safe house location. It was a hookah lounge which also served as a brothel. It was the largest men's club in Balzarsa. Lina staggered to the side entrance and thumped the door with withering strength.
A plump cat woman opened the door and was shocked to see Lina, naked, drenched in blood from head to toe.
"Lina? What happened?? Why are you covered in blood!?"
"Help me, damn it!" whimpered Lina as she staggered in, smearing a bloody handprint on the door.
"By the Divas! Gianna! Get over here and help me! It's Lina! She's bleeding!"
The golden talisman she held began to pulse with energy, whispering a word or name. It repeated intensively in her mind, "Marnaru", Lina uttered.
"What? What are you saying, Lina? Lina?!"
She fainted.
~~~~~~~~
Lina woke up groggy and disoriented, her vision slowly cleared. She recognised she was in one of the guest rooms. She looked out of the window. It was daytime "How long have I been out?" she asked herself. She held her side, now bandaged with fresh cotton fabric.
She was still naked but didn't feel cold or warm. Her body was clean, and her white wool fur smelled fresh.
Although it was daytime, something was strange about it —a peculiar, golden hue that covered everything.
Lina looked at the Balzarsa's tenements, which were strangely quiet. The sun illuminated everything in a bright and vibrant light. Then she noticed the streets were empty. There should be people out doing their business at this time. Even the lounge was quiet… "Maybe the mistress closed the lounge?" The loss of profit would not sit well with their master unless he wanted to keep people away for a reason… Lina looked away from the window.
Next to her bed was a writing desk with parchment and ink. There was a small wooden box on the desk for the amulet. As she got up, Lina felt a pang of pain from her bandaged side. " I guess it's not fully healed," she thought.
Slowly, she walked to the desk and sat. She picked up a quill and a piece of parchment.
Lina began to write her report to Darkceed about what she could remember that had happened the night before. She finished her report and began assembling the wooden parcel box, ready to place the amulet inside.
"The amulet!" The item she was tasked with retrieving was nowhere to be seen in the room.
She searched, throwing pillows and other knick-knacks around the room. "By the divas! Where is it? Did they already take it?" Then she paused as a pulse of warmth spread across her breasts. She touched the source of the warmth and felt the amulet. She traced her fingers along the smooth metal frame and the socketed glowing red gem.
It was around her neck! Was she wearing it the whole time she was unconscious?
She held it in her hands and looked at the gold amulet with a red ruby shard embedded in its centre. Something about it made her uneasy, but the more she looked at it, the warmer she felt.
She picked up the wooden parcel box left for her to place the amulet in, tho she didn't want to remove it. It felt like a warm… embrace? Like someone was holding her lovingly.
She shook her head, breaking the amulet's entrancement.
"Well, I can't keep it! I got to send it to the master"
As Lina took it off, the warmth seemed to fade slowly. Suddenly, it was sucked out of her whole body. A painful cold shock spread through Lana. She collapsed, curling up and screaming from the excruciating pain. The room spun around her; her vision blurred into a red haze. Black, misshapen figures danced around her, and the ringing in her ears was unbearable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She woke up on the cold floor, shivering. It was night, and the room was dark and silent. Next to her, the talisman pulsated, vibrating angrily on the stone floor. She quickly moved away from it in panic. She must have been unconscious all day, but why didn't anyone come to check up on her?
Then she noticed her body was stained with dried blood, crusted and clumping up her wool. She was shivering; the room was cold. Wasn't she cleaned this morning? Was it even morning first place?
A wet feeling at her side drew her attention. Blood seeped out of the oversaturated bandage. "What the fuck!!" She held it over in an attempt to stop it from seeping more.
She got up and sat on the writing desk. She saw her written report with her dried, bloody fingerprints on it.
Lina looked around and saw fresh cotton bandages and cloth on the floor by the bed.
By the small bedside table were scissors and a needle with catgut thread that had been left there.
A shard of bloody bone was left in a corner of the room. Bits of blood-crusted cut wool littered around it with an Iron coal poker lying amongst them, the poker head crusted with a thin layer of burnt blood and flesh.
She picked up the bandage and cloth and sat back at the desk.
She began to unwind the bandage around her waist carefully and peeled off the bloody cloth gauze that was sticking to it.
The skin around the wound was bright red and stitched closed. A small trickle of blood seeped between the treads. She took a clean cloth, applied it to her wound and rebandaged her waist. Strangely, she wasn't feeling any pain from it. Did they give her opium? Lina didn't feel drowsy at all. Maybe not?
"Where is everyone?" she thought. Walking towards the door, Lina stopped and listened. There was no sound. She opened the door and walked out into the hallway.
Leaving behind the glowing red amulet she had bled to acquire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Perfumed oil lamps lighted the dark hallway; it was eerily silent. Lina walked towards the door to the hookah lounge.
As she passed the doors to the private guest rooms, she noticed that there was no sound coming from them. The silence was unusual; you would hear waiting comfort girls talking, playing those blasted dice games, or servicing a patron.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked into one of the rooms. It was dark, and none of the room's lamps were lit. Lina spotted a tin lantern by the door and used the wall lantern to light it.
She crept in; the tin lantern dimly illuminated the room. She could hardly make out a bed, and one of the girls was lying on the silk covers, her arms and legs stretched out. She was not moving. "Sister? Are you okay?" Lina slowly moved towards her and then shrank away, holding her hand over her mouth, stopping herself from screaming.
The brown fox girl was opened up from her chest down to her groin. Her rib cage was split open, and her internal organs were ripped out. Her body was covered in deep claws and teeth marks; her tail was severed. Her orifices were violated.
Lina didn't want to think about what she must have gone through before she died… or during death.
She quickly left the room. "Divas, save me!" Running towards the door leading into the lounge, she stopped and listened. There was still no sound, no music, no singing, nothing. She feared that the murderer or murderers were still here.
Did the mark's friends follow her? Why didn't they kill her?
She snuffed out the lantern and slowly opened the door.
The lounge hall was dark; none of the lanterns were lit. Only the moonlight illuminated the room through the glass-stained windows. Mutilated, hacked-up bodies of patrons and serving girls lay everywhere; everyone was dead!
Lina slowly crept out, being careful not to step on the bodies she could see.
She slowly approached the entrance and stopped when she saw the corpse pile blocking the exit. A massive two-headed axe was propped against the pile of bodies and body parts. It was bigger than her! What person could wield such a thing?
Some limbs had huge bite marks, as if someone or something had been eating them. Her heart raced. What in Celvar had been let loose in here?
She was startled by a sudden scream from a woman. She scurried under a ruined table as heavy footsteps approached, and the screaming got closer. She could feel the vibration get stronger as the footsteps got closer.
A giant, jet-black, horned being came into Lina's view from the hallway's darkness. It was a huge bullman, but its legs were digitigrade, and its hooves were thick, like a heavy horse.
It was a minotaur.
The monster was dragging a woman by the legs, who was screaming and trying to claw away with little effect. Lina recognised her. It was Gianna the sheepess.
The black monster grabbed her thin waist and held her up. "DIVAS! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Gianna screamed as she clawed at the monster's arms.
It laughed as it watched the sheep woman squirm in its hands.
Walking to an intact table, the monster slammed her on it, causing the wood to crack. Gianna tried to push herself away, but the beast overpowered her with one huge hand. She beat and kicked at the creature to make it let go, but the more she struggled, the more it seemed to enjoy it.
The horned monster removed its filthy fur loincloth, revealing a huge, ugly phallus that would barely fit a person of Gianna's size and began to force itself onto her small frame.
Gianna's screaming only excited it more as it forcefully pumped into her virgia. Thrusting hard into her violated orifice at a quickening pace, its giant black balls slapping on her ass.
Her bleats gradually weaken to the brutal assault.
As the beast quickly reached its climax, it pushed its giant member all the way, causing Gianna to scream out in pain. The monster held her there as its twitching balls emptied into her.
The panting monster pulled out, releasing a gob of blood and seed, splattering onto the floor. The giant huffed, wiping its monster dick on her wool, its drooling maw smiled as it moved away from Gianna's ruined body.
Gianna lay twitching on the table. Blood poured out of her vagina, she did not make a sound, nor did she seem to breathe.
Lina was horrified and in tears, having watched her friend being brutally fucked. She tried suppressing her whimper, but she could not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Minotaur heard her and turned toward the sound. Its red glowing eyes fixed on Lina, and it smiled with huge, crooked, blood-stained, sharp teeth.
Lina panicked, scurrying away from under the table and running towards a small doorway. She heard the Minotaur roar behind her. It gave chase with great strides after her, its thunderous hooves crushing the corpses beneath it.
Lina reached the door in time and ran through it, not looking back, just as a huge arm reached out to grab her, missing her by mere inches.
The minotaur's huge body couldn't fit through the doorway. In its futility, it roared at Lina as she disappeared into the dark, narrow corridor.
Lina knew the corridor led to the cellar. What she wasn't sure of was whether it had another way out.
But the monster was too big to get in, so she could wait until morning, or at least the Balzarsa city guards or someone would see the carnage here.
At the other end, she could see the stairs illuminated from below. "Maybe survivors were holding down there, too?" She thought.
She stumbled down the stone steps into the lit cellar. She lay on her knees, panting, and, after taking time to catch her breath, looked around.
The cellar had huge barrels in wooden racks that filled the basement, giving Lina hope that there might be another way out. There was no way the barrels could have fitted through the narrow corridor.
She shook with fear, realising the minotaur could also use it to get in, she had to hurry! Lina noticed the rattle of the tin lantern she was still holding. Her fingers were clamped tightly around the ring handle.
Regaining composure, she relit the lantern and hurried through the dark basement.
As she made her way to the back of the basement, she heard voices coming from a steel door. Light shone through around its frame. Were there survivors?
Maybe the other girls were held up there and waiting for rescue. She could leave them be and make a run for it, but… she couldn't leave them…
Lina pulled open the heavy steel door and went through.
It was an old jail of sorts, a dungeon that must have existed here for centuries before the lounge was built. Some of the cells look to be refurbished. Did they still use it for… prisoners, or was it for other purposes? She knew her master had taken to the kidnapping business, but didn't know it was conducted here.
As she passed the cells, she saw a room with what looked like a chopping block covered in dried blood. The poor souls who didn't have their ransom paid would end up on the block.
Or if Darkcreed was particularly cruel, killed them anyway. She had seen firsthand what her master was capable of. Lina wondered if she should flee right now and never return to Balzarsa.
At the end of the prison room, she could see another light and an open room. She heard the lounge mistress's panicked voice. She was alive! Lina hurried over to the room.
She entered the room, and the floor was covered in blood-stained dried straw, and all around the room were torture devices of various kinds. In the corner, she saw a group of girls cowering.
The mistress was mounted to a table rack, her clothes torn off, and three cloaked figures looking over her.
"Please! I'll pay you anything! Spare me! I beg you!"
"Your gold doesn't interest us. Who do you work for?"
"We don't work for anyone! I swear! I'm just a business wom-"
A red striped hand reached out and lightning arced out into her body, causing the mistress to jerk uncontrollably.
"Lies! Lies! Lies!" said the tiger man. Lina had seen him before! He was with the mark and had the same amulet as them.
"Brother, why waste time on this one? We will have our answers soon from the other one," a bear man with red scars said
"And what if she doesn't know anything? We will have a replacement vessel for our brother, yes, but not much else"
"Please! I don't know anything, please!" Begged the mistress
The tiger man clawed deeply into her breast, cutting flesh and meat.
"This one's a plump one, why don't we give it to our friend?" said a ghoulish-looking furless cat man
"He's had plenty of flesh to eat from the ones upstairs, and we don't have time to waste here." Another arc of lightning strikes over the mistress. "Who do you work for?"
The tiger man notices Lina by the door "Ah! Brother, or should I say sister! Have you settled in your new vessel?" His eyes narrow as he sees Lina not wearing the amulet.
The bear noticed, "Brother, she has not turned!"
"LINA! DON'T LET THEM CAPTURE YOU ALIVE!"
The bear man raised his fist, slamming it into the mistress's face, crushing it with one blow.
"So she DOES know something!"
Lina ran from the room, dropping the lantern, causing the laid straw to ignite. The straw quickly caught, blazing fire blocking the door. She ran as she heard the other girls screaming in horror as they were to be burned to death.
Lina reached the heavy metal door and turned to see the blaze. The flames were licking up the door, and thick black smoke billowed and filled the jail room. The girl's screams slowly died as they succumbed to the fire. Three figures left the room unflinching in the face of the fire threatening to engulf them.
"Run, little lamb! Run!"
Lina closed the steel door and braced it shut. She felt the air sucking into the door gaps, feeding the fire.
The lanterns flickered as they all snuffed themselves out.
She ran into the darkness, hoping to find the basement hatch or another way out.
"Divas preserve me!, Divas preserve me!"
She stumbled on something, the steps! Looking up, she saw the hatch, the moonlight illuminating through the cracks. Lina scrambled up to the hatch doors and pushed them with all her strength. The hatch gave way, allowing her freedom onto the surface.
She looked around and saw no one. She ran through the streets as fast as she could, looking for the watch guard or anyone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As she ran through the streets, she came to a large illuminated building. It was a temple.
The temple of the Divas with paladins on guard at the entrance. She was saved!
"Help Me! Help! Monsters!"
The paladins drew their weapons but stayed at their positions. She was naked and covered in dry blood.
"What's the meaning of this madness? Why have you broken curfew and covered in blood naked?"
"Please listen, there is a monster! It's killed everyone in the lounge"
"Monster, what monster?"
Heavy footsteps echo through the streets. The paladins look toward the sound:
"It's coming!" Lina climbs the steps, but the paladins point their weapons at her, halting her: "Stay where you are!"
"For Divas' sake, let me in!"
"No one enters the temple after dusk!"
The minotaur revealed itself from the darkness, its red eyes fixated on Lina and the paladins.
"BY CELVAR! IT'S A MINOTAUR!! TO ARMS!"
The paladin blew a horn, and they both rushed towards the minotaur. The monster swung its massive axe at the paladins. Despite wearing armour, they duck and weave around the minotaur and its giant axe, cutting into the beast with their silvered swords.
Unfazed, the minotaur swats one paladin away and recklessly hammers the other with its fist before bringing the axe down on them, crushing them.
Lina freezes with fear as the minotaur looks at her and grins with jagged, gore-covered fangs. It slowly approaches her, laughing gutturally.
The blue and gold temple doors open, and more paladins join the battle.
"What in Celvar is this! How did that monster get into the city?" Yelled a paladin as it rushed towards the monster.
Lina watched as the paladins fought the monster, some jumping on it and stabbing it with their swords while others shot it with arrows. But the beast threw them off and the arrows hardly pierced its tough hide. It laughed and crushed a paladin with its giant hoof.
"They can't stop it!" Lina whimpered as she crawled up the steps
A cougar priestess spots Lina and helps her up on her feet, "Get out of here, it's not safe! Run!!"
With that, she ran into the temple.