Chapter 13 - All the saints in a row.

Chapter 13

"Wait, you don't have to do this! We can save Anna and take her out of this village moo!" She laughs, almost cackles really, like the villain of this story.

"You think you can save her?! In this village we are the only ones not under the curse of the Blue Fairy, we are forced to live tormented and unable to escape, we are called saints but we are her prisoners. Like our ancestors going back hundreds of years. we are her fucking puppets. We are no more than birthing toys to stay pure for her own enjoyment!!" She breathes in and out, panicked but focused to a pin, so many expressions on her face as she screams out her pain.

"Every twin split and sacrificed, one to watch over the village to give birth to the next toys and one to be sacrificed for her enjoyment. This all ends with me. It is better Anna dies than to be that monster's thing, never to die, never to feel happiness again, only to be under her whim and in pain for all eternity just like our ancestors before me, NEVER AGAIN!" She pulls a dagger from inside her clothing and slams it down on the ground in front of her, causing all of us to go into our battle modes.

"That's right, you're going to have to kill me to save he-" She is interrupted by a hounding shriek that seems to rise again and again from behind us, cries of pain mixed with cries of joy, my fur standing on end as we all turn around and look behind us.

The whole village was engulfed now, all of the people covered in flames, the merchants' cries were of pain… but the villagers… they cried out in worship and happiness, their flames turning blue and seeming to become one with them.

< Inspect Level 2 > Has become Level 3, using Inspect level 3.

Name: Burning Eternal.

Type: Twisted vision, Fire Base.

Threat: D+ Rank.

'Their whole life for the Blue Fairy. The Blue Fairy will never let them go, in death they follow her will. If you die to fire you shall forever burn for me, brighter than existence.'

Keeks says it best first, "Ahh fuck nye." We all nod and sigh, so much for burning the village down. I hear a noise and turn around, Anna's sister looking out over the enflamed village, she laughs, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I-I though this would be the end… even in death you have the villagers… at least the fruits will stop spreading… haha… now we just need to die and it's all over, this will just be a cursed place with a being of fire roaming, a good warning I suppose… haha… nya…" She seems to have lost it, I look back for a split second to the fire and in my mind, an unrealised vision, I spin back, the dagger not having been logged into the floor anymore and instead in her hands.

Shnk I watch in horror, the dagger entering the priestess's chest, her face a mess of tears, hatred and relief. An end that she no longer has to participate in. A scream from the little Saintess as her sister collapses, causing Zel and Keeks to turn around as well. Anna sobbing and screaming for her sister, her binds desperately being pulled at as we all stare on in shock and horror.

A scream of happiness shocks us out of our state of disbelief, there are still creatures to deal with. "Keeks, you and Zel take the creatures, I'll help Anna, don't let them touch you moo!" I rush over to her and push a bone out of my hand, jagged and sharp, I cut her bonds and pull her up, holding her against me as she lashes out with all her might, sharp claws ripping at my skin to be let free. I get up slowly, ignoring all sounds of fighting and relying on my partners to do what they could to protect us.

I cup her head with my hand, her small gently furred head. She wails and screams for her sister, the why's of it all, the same questions I had when I lost everything. Such confusion and fear, panic running through your entire being. And then. Just becoming nothing. When your whole world crashes down, where can you go from there?

I release her, into the arms of her sister, her questions and emotions entirely flooded with sadness, deep unquenchable sadness. I'd taken out the dagger and just kept stroking her hair, the sobbing infecting me, why does this always have to happen? Endless torment for those just trying to live their lives. This isn't a fucking game to me, this is as real as the feelings she is having. How can this be a game when such injustices are committed and shown. No game could do that to a person, not when the world has had such turmoil so recently.

I push down my feelings and turn away from her to look at the enulged village, if it could be called that anymore, there was nothing but heat, smoke, screams and the crackling of lives burnt to a crisp. I see that my partners are maintaining their health through the display, thankfully holding up a fight of their own. The creatures are going down quickly, but from the fire they seem to spring up again and again, an endless wave of flame creatures. This is not something that we can extinguish ourselves.

Mershi would have been amazing for this fight, she probably could conjure entire tidal waves to wash away the village in its entirety. I hear a creaking coming from around me, more importantly, around Anna. I look up and curse the gods for their fucking audacity.

I jump towards Anna, managing to grasp her within my arms just in time for the creaking to turn into cracking, the roof falling inwards towards us, the weight of it falling directly onto my back. Notification after notification spewing into my console as the burning wood assaults my skin and senses.

I hear the screams of my partners instead of those of the creatures, the sounds of popping and sizzling, water on fire as their measly spells of create water are poured again and again over the spot where we lay, curled up a shivering kitten against my chest, trying my best to protect her, please. Just let me save one person.

The pain of the fire, muddling my senses, the smoke making it hard to breathe, the weight of the wood… slowly lifting. I hear screams of annoyance of how hot the wood is, the anger at her comment and to just keep digging. I didn't think we were deep, but I can't even open my eyes to check. My eyelids having been burnt shut from the fire, not able to fully protect my face while I was doing my best to protect another's. At least Anna will be safe, all I can keep telling myself, the searing pain of being barbecued alive, that thought, all that was keeping me going.

Finally a weight is lifted off my shoulders, literally, as the last of the wood is pulled off. I try my best to breathe but all I get are lungs full of smoke, I cough and try my best to ask. "Is she okay moo?!" I pull her out of my arms, gently, trying not to squish her, let her breathe. I hear an intake of breath from Keeks and Zel… I hesitate… scared to ask.

I feel healing magic being cast on me, my eyes seeming to recover as my health starts moving higher into the triple digits. I look into my arms, at Anna, her eyes closed, her mouth in a grimace of pain. I cradle her in my arms and weep openly, around the fire has stopped, having devoured everything in its path. Nothing else to consume it has burned down to the embers.

By the dim light I see her, poor sweet brave Anna, I cup her tiny paw in my hand as I look down, below the arm, the fur burned and tattered, her clothing gone above her stomach, melted flesh and damaged muscle, her tail mostly gone.

I-i Though I saved her… hah… I thought I was able to protect her… th-this is my fault. Her labored breathing shows me she is alive, but at what cost. At the cost of living a normal fucking life!? I feel my whole body trembling. I look at Zel pleadingly. With tears in her eyes she shakes her head. Wow. This is just fucking cruel game. I hold her close and gently hum to her, my tears mingling with her own.

I need to get out of this dungeon before I lose my mind. I'm going to rip that fucking fairy to shreds.