The outer walls were thick with that same dark crimson stone that adorned most of the architecture throughout the town that existed in a perpetual state of fog sheeted night. Sprawling patterns depicting a story Abel could not understand lined the walls, doors and archways. Depictions of a knight clad in malignant armour battling a horde of small yet ferocious looking creatures, sprawled from the large sides of the cathedrals walls to the clear slate above the archway belonging to the main entrance.
"Creepy…" Abel got out before taking in a deep breath of what felt like poison. As he inhaled he felt almost nauseated.
He was currently perched upon the rooftop of a rather low hanging dilapidated building that had two twin peaks. One of the peaks of the building held just enough manoeuvring room to accommodate a rather small and feeble human. Comparatively to the other peak that seemed to be in an utter state of disrepair, this one was rather easy to get to and also allowed a view of the surroundings without exposing his position to any…
Daemons.
Abel audibly gulped at the thought.
Ever since he had found the crimson plated pole back in an abandoned building by the cemetery he found his instincts willing him to react to danger and use it was gradually becoming overbearing. At any moment he could be assaulted by a creature of the night and slain.
And not only that…dying is one thing, but being stuck in a loop of death and life…being torn apart by the same snarling and violent creature that put you in that position to begin with…
Abel's entire body shivered, the thought slowly cementing itself in his mind. So far, the worst fate possible he could imagine was exactly that. A death loop. Since he arrived in this creepy town and obtained the item in question that made it all possible it had been the biggest fear on his mind.
Abel turned his attention back to the cathedrals' hallowed grounds and noticed that the two red priests guarding the large and imposing gate to the grounds had a guest. Another red priest, only on this occasion they seemed to be holding something rather declaratively in their hand. A..
Abel's heart skipped a beat and he keeled over, almost unable to keep in what little he had eaten that day.
He peered over the ledge once again, if only to confirm what he thought he had seen. Once again he looked and once again his eyes lay over the red priest carrying what looked to be the detached arm of a human being.
"This is foul. This is…so, so wrong. They really killed someone and..and.."
Abel's voice trailed off, unable to continue his explanation on the disdain he felt towards what he had seen. The acrid scent belonging to the air surrounding this place began to make sense in Abel's mind, and his heart began to fall as he realised what the scent had likely originated from.
Abel again peered over the ledge of his perch way up on the peak of his dilapidated building only to see that the third and arm carrying red priest was all but gone, and the two priests manning the gate seemed to be snacking on something. Their bodies were hunched over and low hanging, almost as if bowing to the ground. But abel knew better than that now. These people weren't bowing to anything or anyone. They were feasting upon the detached arm of a poor and unfortunate human who had likely belonged to one of the many houses he had seen during his short time here.
Maybe I've already been inside their house.
This thought knawed at the back of his mind. It got to a point where Abel looked away from the chorus of grim insanity that lay below at the foot of the cathedrals' gate and gripped his head, as if trying to forcefully dispel the thought from ever entering his mind again.
In almost mocking jest his mind instead pushed forth a different thought.
Cannibals.
This new yet still unsettling thought rested on the forefront of his mind. He gripped the cold and weathered stone that lay beneath him hard before a resentful and violent look crossed his visage.
"Even if your all starving. Even if each and every person that was here had it coming. You should have found another way. This is…"
Abel's voice trailed off again as he tried to comprehend the correct expression to describe how he felt about what he had seen.
"This is..unforgivable."
Abel's eyes zeroed in on the red priests once more, their hoods had previously covered their faces from sight, but after savagely tearing apart the arm that had been delivered to them they seemed to be in a state of euphoria, gazing at the sky above in satisfaction for their 'meal'.
This of course, meant that their hoods were down and Abel could clearly see their faces.
"Their.." Abel's eyes blazed with an intense, primal fury he had not known he had. After the consumption of one of their fellow humans, they were…smiling. No, more than that their grins were wide and full of mirth. They had no remorse for what they had just done, but instead immense satisfaction and joy.
Another thought was pushed to the forefront of Abel's mind. This one much more intense, but much more welcome.
Evil.
Abel's palms had since lost their usual tanned luster and had now drained to a pale white. They were cuffed in a tight fist, balled up and positioned on the stone beneath him.
"I don't know why I was sent here. But I do know this. If the condition for my survival and escape is in any way related to you Red Priests. I swear to myself that I will kill each and every one of you that crosses my path."
He said this aloud, his fear of a daemon overhearing him had all but vanished, instead that primal fear was wholeheartedly replaced by another feeling entirely. Rage. Primal, instinctual and incredibly potent.
'
He did not know any of the townsfolk personally, but in Abel's mind that was irrelevant. He was here because the crucible had provided him with an opportunity to grow stronger. As he saw it..
If killing is necessary for my survival. And I would have had to kill someone no matter where I was sent… Then ill be damned if it isn't wretches as despicable and fucked up as you.
With that, Abel began surveying his surroundings. Not too far away he spotted another building that stood out. It looked almost like a theatrical venue, a place for live shows and entertainment, but he couldn't be sure. The architecture of the building was suggestive, but with how differently it contrasted to the cinemas and odeons of his world he had no real way to tell if his guess was correct.
Even still, I'd rather explore there before making my way to the cathedral. I'll need a little more than a crimson polebar to take even one of them down. I need something else I can use.
With that he began hurriedly clambering down the dilapidated building using the crimson pole to greatly speed up his descent before landing firmly on the solid ground beneath him.
As he reached the ground, surveying his surroundings a string of thoughts suddenly bombarded his mind.
What happens if I die while fighting those priests? What if I don't kill all of them? What if they see me come back to life.
With that, the pent up rage he felt just moments ago was gone, his fear of an impending death loop filled his subconscious with impending doom. As if the circumstance he was most afraid of could happen at any moment. Only this time to humans that ate human flesh instead of a barely intelligent daemon.
Although the chance for him to escape after revival seemed higher than when pitted against a daemon due to the chance for shock to last much longer against intelligent foes, the though still permeated to the forefront of his mind.
I can't afford to be scared right now. I haven't found any food or water, and I still need to check out that theatre.
With that he began moving in the direction of the building mentioned, but he didn't say this aloud despite what his intentional thoughts entailed. Clearly, his sense of brimming rage and borderline immortality had wanned considerably since landing his feet off of his little bird's nest. On the ground, every corner he turned could welcome an unwelcome foe. The likelihood of that foe killing him, being higher than he was willing to admit.
***
After making his way halfway across the distance spanning his previous position perched atop a building and the theatre, he turned a corner of another abandoned house and for the first time since his arrival here, he was met with something that made his heart lurch violently for his body to halt and retrace his steps hastily but silently.
Shit. shit. shit.
Just around the corner of the building he was currently perched behind, lay a feasting daemon. From the quick glimpse that he had seen of it, it was roughly 30 inches. But he couldn't tell how accurate it was to say so. Its skin was as black and dark as the night sky, it was covered in pustules of blisters that looked far too painful for such a composed creature to have, and its face…
Fangs as large as kitchen knives, eyes like the devil, a snout that looks completely attuned to violence and snarling. I'm so unequivocably fucked.