Gardinal stopped dead in his tracks. A massive cavern stretched out before him, stone walls rising up in a dome, illuminated by hundreds, if not thousands, of red candles that pooled out across a wax covered floor. Gardinal could hear the sludge gushing out the entryway from beneath him, the flooring seemingly built above what would be a veritable lake of sewage. But that was not what gave him pause. At least two dozen robed figures knelt in a circle, the melted red wax so thick it nearly covered their legs. Lit harshly by the candles’ glow, they chanted a low muttering. In the center of that circle stood two men. Two men Gardinal could feel the Chaos pouring forth from, pushing against his soul with a constant pressure. The first Gardinal recognized. The Theremya man from the docks, this so-called Summoner, with his straight white hair and ruby eyes, glistening against the low light. The other however…

At first glance Gardinal had thought the second man a Theremya as well. He was tall and pale, paler than even the many corpses Gardinal had seen. But his eyes, they were black as the darkest night in the Shaded Lands. Then Gardinal saw the other features of the man, a pronounced brow ridge, a hard jaw, the faintest tint of red to his skin. The man was a Korek, though the most emaciated, sickly looking Korek Gardinal had ever seen. He stood tall, even if his bone thin limbs seemed incapable of holding him up. They locked eyes and a million tiny hands scratching at his soul. Gardinal knew who this man was.

X.

Under that dark gaze Gardinal felt so incredibly… small. Even a good two dozen paces away Gardinal could feel the overwhelming power of the Chaos that exuded from him.

“Pantheon above.” Derenath exclaimed next to him, a tremor to the man’s voice. “What is that monstrosity?”

“Great Master, I apologize. It seems our men outside were… inadequate.” The Summoner hissed, taking the Korek’s hand and placing the back of the man's large fingers to his own head. He spoke just barely loud enough for Gardinal to make it out, and the sight made for a disturbing sight. The Sherya of any clan were not ones to show deference to who they considered lesser peoples, those of the Theremya clan least of all. “That is the one Great Master, her protector.”

Gardinal’s blood boiled at that, any fear flushed from his veins with the fires of anger.

“I’ll kill you before I let you…” Gardinal began with a growl before a hand grabbed him by the shoulder holding him back. “Dammit Derenath, let me…” Gardinal turned to find himself face to face with the Bishop.

“You are too weak for this Brother Gardinal.” The Bishop whispered to him. He spoke as if he were stating a simple fact. But Gardinal had to protect Her Radiance. Even if it meant his own death.

“Shelezan, I did not expect you here.” A voice like the sound of crackling flame consuming a home with children inside filled the room. Gardinal felt his skin crawl as he turned back to see the Korek grinning. “With the two of you down here, who is watching over the girl on the surface?” X’s rough voice filled the air with a sense of dread. They knew where the Prophetess was. Vallerian and Kriss wouldn’t be enough. Not against this.

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“What girl are they…” Derenath began but was cut off.

“Get to her now Gardinal.” The Bishop snapped. Gardinal looked back to The Bishop, to Derenath and the men who had followed him. If he left, he surely abandoned them to their deaths. There was never really a question, he would abandon the whole city to their deaths for her.

“Cast these fools asunder, Summoner. I want their heads.” X spoke, then turned and moved towards an exit on the other side of the large chamber.

“Stop!” Derenath shouted, stepping forward and raising his blessed hammer to a striking position. “Your heretics will taste the Pantheon’s Light!”

“That sounds like a challenge, Redeemer.” The Summoner spoke with a grin, striding over to one of the chanting men. “Let us see how well you fare against real power.” The Summoner muttered something under his breath, then slipped a black dagger out of his sleeve. It was as thin as a finger and as long as an arm. He thrust it through the throat of one of the chanters. Gardinal watched in horror as the man fell to the ground, then began to convulse.

“Brother Gardinal!” The Bishop shouted, shaking Gardinal. Gardinal only watched in horror as the Summoner did the same to another of the chanting figures. Similarly he slumped over dead, then began to convulse.

“Pantheon above…” Derenath gasped.

The scent of Chaos seemed to explode through the room. Then, with a sickening crack, a twisted red claw ripped out of the back of the first dead man. Then another claw, flesh tearing free in bloody gashes as a twisted red form pulled itself free from the corpse. The monstrosity that crawled from the mangled corpse walked on four mismatched legs, as if pulled free from four different animals and sewed onto this one. Its head was long and stretched out, like the face of a man on the skull of a hound but with seven yellow eyes. Patches of bloodied hair fell limply from its form. But in the places where there were none its tight vibrant red flesh writhed as if a million maggots lay beneath.

A daemon, a monster not seen since before The Abandonment. Since the Daemon Wars when the gods themselves fought beside men. They were the primordial creations of the Chaos, twisted malformed mockeries of the Pantheon’s creations. They were supposed to have been locked away with the Chaos by Seratos himself. For one to be here, it was impossible. The Scriptures swore it was impossible. Gardinal heard a man retch behind him, others began to weep at the sight. All Gardinal could do was stare.

A strong hand spun Gardinal, forcing him to look into the Bishop's aquamarine eyes, standing high above him.

“Gardinal, Celeste needs you now.” The Bishop yelled at him. “Go, now!”

Gardinal's very breathing had grown labored in sight of the Chaos spawn, his whole body shaking. He looked to Derenath. The man clenched his blessed hammer with white knuckles. Gardinal heard more bones snapping, and with a glance he saw another daemon crawl free fro yet another corpse.

“She is more important than any of us. Go Gardinal, now.” The Bishop said, drawing his attention back. The old priest then began to leak brilliant Ethinian light before nodding sharply. “I am not a helpless old man. Go.”

Gardinal looked at the man, at the thousands of tiny white lines that were beginning to spread out of his whole body and nodded. He had to keep her safe. She was in danger. Gardinal began to run, even as monstrous screeching and howls of dying men echoed through the catacombs behind him. Keep her safe. Gardinal ran. He had to get to Her Radiance. Celeste was in danger.