Accursed Wars of Immortalis

Chapter 2: Ashes to Ashes

The village's five Priests of Light, legionnaires themselves, carried corpses inside the church and attempted to revive them with their powerful healing magic. They only had a few minutes before death became irreversible. Some of the dead had been completely burnt, and were beyond recovery. Flann, along with other villagers, tended to the wounds of those lucky enough to have merely been wounded, but there were few of them. The head of the church, High Priest Caron, was doing his best to revive those who were, or thought to be, dead longest. It was said that he performed miracles that day.

Outside, the chaos raged on. Seven Maledicti had come and that was enough to wipe out a small city if they were not stopped by experienced warriors. Even with experienced warriors, however, it was guaranteed that some would die, or worse, be cursed. Out of the twenty legionnaires who lived in Mirthenhelm, five were priests or priestesses, and the rest were guardians and vanguards, who were in charge of protection and excursions outside the village, respectively. 

The church was large enough to accommodate a congregation larger than the village's population, as the church was mostly occupied by pews. The chancel stood a foot or so higher than the rest of room. In both corners there was a door leading to the high priest's personal quarters. It bore a small altar at the front and the statue of the Bleeding Maiden at the back. 

The statue was an object of much mystery, being a life-size depiction of a woman, kneeling, wrapped in a thick cloak, hands cupped before her, and her head bowed. The statue had two polished and cut gems for eyes. 

The Bleeding Maiden was once a great healer, Flann was told, but one day, she simply vanished. High ranking legionnaires, such as Caron, claim that she watches from the heavens, offering guidance to those who seek it and performing miracles in the realm of the living. Flann did not know what she believed, nor did it matter at such a time, where the death of the attacking Maledicti was all that weighed on the minds of the village folk.

Flann sat quietly with her mother and two of her brothers, who had arrived shortly after her. She watched a stubby candle upon the altar melt away as the battle raged on outside. One of the attendants was busy changing the candle when it was announced that the chaos was over.

The remaining Maledicti had been slain, and the surviving villagers were were put to work extinguishing fires or tending to more wounded or dead. Only three of the ten guardians and two of the vanguard had survived the fight. Flann was relieved when she saw her childhood friend, Vanguard Walgen, among them. He gave a small smile and waved to her, equally relieved by their mutual survival. His plate cuirass was torn – three gashes undoubtedly caused by a Maledicti claw. Flann thanked the Maiden for his good fortune.

While participating in a human chain hauling water buckets towards the still-flaming blacksmith's workshop, Flann overheard two of the village's elders speaking about the attack: 

"They say that this ain't the first attack... it was north, near Prosperia. Heard it was worse."

"You don't think it's gonna be another Outbreak, do you?"

"Pray to the Maiden it ain't."

Flann remembered her grandfather's tales of the last Chaos Outbreak, which happened approximately forty-five years ago, around the year 610. That had been the second time in history that the Maledicti moved with a purpose. The previous outbreak was announced by a sudden increase in Maledicti population; normally they remained in their native realm and few wandered the world of the living, but, as if commanded by a superior being, they gathered in larger numbers and attacked. The first few attacks were said to be rather small, testing the strength of human settlements. When enough information was collected, the organized attacks begin... and countless died or were cursed. Flann shivered at the thought of another Outbreak. She had hoped to live a peaceful life, especially after the war between her kingdom, Luxurum, and a kingdom to the east.