A hideous laughter suddenly rang out. It was followed by a spiritual force of unseen will that hammered into Divina's body just as hard as any physical mace or battle-axe ever could. She acted on instinct, relying on her countless hours of training and threw her own will back against it, reinforcing her shield spell and barely deflecting the psychic assault. The attack only lasted a moment, the demon was testing her mettle but it was a more direct and powerful force of will than she had ever felt from any of the sisters in the Citadel. More than Akkoni herself. Her knees buckled under the mental pressure, as she tried to keep her footing. She acted on instinct again and turned the motion into the rooted stance of her martial sword style, bringing the blade in a neat arc into the Ochs position above her head.

Her eyes darted around the room. Without warning, the form of darkness filled the space between the Paladin and the altar. Divina moved back to between the rows of seats as it gathered in the space she once stood. Tendrils of shadow flashed and celestial lights sparked as they touched the Paladins thick armor. The laughter, full of contempt, rasped out from that place at the foot of the dias and filled the hallway with overlapping echoes.

Then the fiend spoke with a charming basso voice that the Paladin had not been expecting. “Ahhh, Turn back Paladin. There is nothing here for you here. Your gods have forsaken this place.”

Divina said nothing in response but gripped her spell and her sword all the tighter, ready for the monsters attack.

The shadows coalesced into something like a rictus grin. Around that repulsive smile, its body appeared to almost come into focus as if pulling its form from another place. Divina could sense that this was a being of pure spite and malice. A gaunt, sickly-looking, feline face, complete with wild-furred pointed ears, gave way to a mane of slicked back and oily looking feathers that ran down the length of its elongated, curved neck. It’s skin hung loose on emaciated muscle and from bones that protruded with vicious spikes. Leathery bat-like wings hung around its shoulders. It stood hunched over on four powerful multi jointed legs that ended in too many claws. Although the creature crouched down low it was still eye to eye with the girl. It was unnaturally still except for the occasional corporeal shudder that disturbed the fabric of space around it. Divina knew a being like this was never meant to occupy this reality. The very matter it crafted its twisted body from was constantly rejecting its metaphysical existence. It must have cost the demon a great deal of energy to maintain this physical form rather than steal another creature's body. And now that it had taken one, it would be forced to hold onto it, or be cast back to nothing but an incorporeal, wandering spirit, or worse still, back to the abyssal prison it had come from.

“You are wrong, demon.” Formed from anger, the volume and strength of Divinas voice was a surprise even to her. The scene around her had only proved to stoke the fires of divine retribution in her. “‘Audrashni walks alongside a true believer wherever she travels. The blades of her enemies are crushed like blades grass before the mighty storm.’” She knew the words by heart, quoted verbatim from the many scrolls of the Wisdom of Audrashni.

The demon didn’t flinch as Divina had expected.

“Ahhh, a Thunder Priest. A caller of Storms. One of those who command Lightning and Thunder?” The demon spoke the ancient titles not out of reverence but with mockery in its voice. “You are far from your citadel child. Run home.”

The last words the demon had laced with unholy suggestion it was the same magic as the demons first assault but infinitely more subtle. She could feel greasy, terrible thoughts probing her divinely-shielded mind, trying to find a way in and breach her emotions. The spell was looking for a memory that the Demon might exploit. She couldn't give it one or she would be finished. Divina doubled down, drawing on her anger and fought against it, desperately throwing her mental shield against it. The demon flickered again and the pressure of its power let up. Her will had held out. For now.

“Ahhh, then what is it you want, little one? What can I give you to leave this place, to leave me in peace?” Its mouth did not move to speak, as if it just forgotten the laws of physics that govern how mortal beings made sound. Instead, its head tilted to one side to show its inquisition.

Divinas answer came quickly, fuelled by her rage. “I look for redemption and cleansing, demon. Nothing more or less. You cannot buy my passivity or my silence this day.”

The creature moved for the first time, raising a single razor sharp claw and made a beckoning gesture towards the warrior. Then, it turned to one side, revealing once again, the girl on the altar behind.

“Ahhh, Perhaps you will take this,” It pointed at the girl, “justice placed on the head of my witch-child? She is the cause of all this.” The demon gestured to the blood-filled room as glee filled its words. “Call it recompense? Perhaps?”

The Paladin looked towards the body of girl in confusion for one moment, and then a look of horrific realization at the truth of the situation washed over her face. She had to stop herself from taking a step forward. What she had thought to be another dead villager began to move and moan. It writhed and growled with a guttural animalistic nature. And then her eyes fluttered.

“Ahhh, I see you now understand and yet, before you did not.” The demons words gave way as it let out another disgusting laugh at the sight of Divinas face.

“Audrashni strike you from this existence, foul thing.” She cursed.

The demon hesitated looking around at the air, almost expectantly. When nothing happened more hideous laughter began rolling from its open maw.

“It seems, after all, your gods have abandoned you.”  

As its laughter subsided the Paladin heard a small and frightened voice.

“It was all real.” She whimpered, “Oh gods, what have I done?” She looked beyond the demon and over toward the girl who had quite suddenly become aware of her surroundings. The girl tried to raise her head from the altar but the ropes that bound her hands and feet also restrained her bruised neck. She whimpered again in pain. Resignation hit her, as she went limp and silent tears tumbled down onto the stone block washing their way through the grime that covered her face.

The demon looked intently from one girl to the other. The witch-girl’s torment appeared to excite the creature. “Ahhh, Take her life Paladin! A retribution for all those she has defiled in this place. Yes?”