Valshadar's grip on his blade loosened, just as it was pressed ever so slightly against Visla's skin. Blood poured from his chest, his back, his arms. A dozen blades had dug into his flesh as he remained fixed on but one thing. Aelva drew back bloody claws and the soldiers flicked the blood from their blades as his body fell limp onto the ground. The same as his followers, his spirit held no sustainence for the Godshard.
As Visla stepped over him a bed of sweat trickled down her neck. Her knew that Aelva would have absorbed the blow for her, but her heart still beat swiftly. She thought she would never get used to facing death like this, and she hoped that soon it would be a rare enough occurrence that her inability to adapt would no longer be a burden. The soldiers marched behind her, bearing torches, as she continued on to examine the rest of the cave. Before she turned the corner, she gave a glance to the children. The commander had finally stepped down from his horse and brought up another mount from further down the path. He was helping the girl up onto its back as Visla glanced back at him. There was compassion in his heart, if only for his own kind.
Within the dark caverns, Visla found a vast alchemy lab with vials of a dozen different ingredients all flowing to make the slick black poison that was at the root of all this. She ordered the men to gather what they could and they obeyed. The warlock remained somewhat surprised that strange soldiers would heed her commands, but it was a satisfying discovery. The rest of the cavern held little else. Most importantly, it held no more monks, and Visla was forced to witness no more thoughtless slaying. The eyes of the man from the makeshift hospital still haunted her, though she never saw them. They glared back with the blue hue she had imparted to them until she shook her head and banished them. The last thing she found was a small stable for the saint's horse. It slung its head low, as if it knew of the horrible deeds done above. Visla took its reins and it followed her out from the cave and back to the surface.
When she finally returned to the entrance, her eyes took a moment to adjust to the light. It was nearly mid-day and she had not rested since two nights back. She pulled herself up into saddle of the fallen saint's horse and Aelva joined her, taking the reins. Visla's eyes fell closed and she slept the remainder of the journey back to the nearby Baron's keep. On the horse beside her, the frail young girl had fallen asleep in her brother's arms.
When she awoke again, it was to a great banquet in her honor. As usual, she ate little, even as she sat at the head table with the rescued children. The Baron there spoke highly of her deeds, her heroism, and her service to the League. The children and their mother embraced and the crowd cheered. All the while, Visla whispered to her succubus the truth of what had happened, a tale of an unchaste cleric, a thoughtless father, and a family nearly ruined by misfortune.
In turn, Aelva told her summoner of how the League's forces had come to her rescue. Impatient with waiting, from the mountain's peak, she had caught sight of a group out on patrol and lured them over with balefire signals and suspicious blots of darkness on the horizon. They were more than eager to sack the monastery once she told them of it and showed them the message Visla had left behind. The only cause of delay was her being summoned from their midst in the middle of her explanation. Visla conceded that the succubus' plan was far better than her own, though she wished she had been told of it before the soldiers pried open the doors.
“And with the heroic Lady Eraclaire, we send word to Baron Roinberg that his family is safe once more. And with that word of hope, she will bring the weapon that will be our salvation, that he might join the fight at Knife's Edge and bring an end to the Church once and for all!”
The Baron's speech concluded to thunderous applause and Visla nodded, accepting the charge. She would bring word to Roinberg, whose name she had not even heard until this moment. She would bring the poison he brewed in his basement. She would bring it and bury it in his heart for what he did to his daughter.
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