Chapter 12 - Intruding fiends

Wonderfully uneventful days of silent comfort stretched into seven months. Or at least she believed it had been seven month. Time was hard to tell if it was always dark outside. Bondrewd stayed close to her side by whatever she did and Tanya honestly couldn't blame him. Being X could try to mess with her at any moment. It was nice to be able to fully trust someone and his reliable closeness was very soothing. He was always patient with her and showed her his many tomes of knowledge eagerly.

With his help she learned how to dissect the various sea creatures that lived in the surrounding lakes and even how to make basic medicine out of plants from the Abyss. The warmth that his care brought to her heart pushed the dooming thoughts of the cursed artefact to the back of her mind. She almost forgot the thing when she spent her time solely with her favourite activities: Reading and watching Bondrewd at his work.

Those happy months seemingly flew by and Tanya slowly felt as safe as before the "Starflare Amulet" (as Bondrewd called it) had ruined her life.

She was just coming from the restroom after trying to wash her face clean from getting ink on it after her pen had spontaneously exploded when a weird scent entered her nose. It was heavy and metallic and it smelled vaguely familiar. She followed its trail around a corner and froze in place. Blood. It was blood. And a lot of it. The whole floor was covered in a thin shimmering layer of shining black blood. What was going on? Her breathing that had temporarily stopped began to quicken and her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

Slowly, very slowly her eyes drifted over to the wall and she involuntarily gasped. One of Bondrewd´s Umbra Hands lay there with his head completely smashed into a bloody pulp. The broken, twisted mess that had once been his face once was so horrific to look at that she had to retch.

What could have done something like this? Was it an accident? She pried her eyes away from the disfigured corpse and looked around only to find nothing that could have caused a wound like this. There were no signs of structural damage to the walls and no explosion marks. The only other option was...
murder.

Tanya shuddered. There was something or someone in here that had caused this and judging from the still pooling blood on the floor it had to be nearby. Her mind began to wind up to its usual speed and she quickly assed all options.

An animal was unlikely. To get into Ido Fort required intelligence and skill that no ordinary creature of the Abyss possessed. The few that possibly did were extremely territorial and would never come down here. Stingerheads were also out of the question, because the body had not been liquefied by their signature poison. In general there was a remarkable absence of bite-marks or scratches that would normally indicate an attempt to feast on the hunted prey.

Another possibility was that the feat had been done by a human. Straight up homicide. That was even worse, because humans were far harder to distract or lure away. That meant possibly more danger for her. She needed to inform father Bondrewd of this. He would know a solution.

As quietly as she could manage she turned around and sneaked back the corridor towards the laboratory they often used together.

To her surprise the door was already open what was unnerving, because Bondrewd made a point to always close doors behind him when he worked. An understandable habit considering that a man as important and knowledgeable as her Bondrewd had many secrets to hide.

She did not recognize the gruff and angry voice that came from inside which made peek through the opening with caution. There stood somebody she did not know and pointed some sort of weapon that looked like a mixture between a gun and a crossbow at Bondrewd. He was in danger!

"There you are you bastard. You don´t even know how long I have been waiting for this moment!"

"How curious. And why would that be if you don't mind me asking?"

"Stick those fancy words up your ugly arse you pig! Don´t you dare try to look innocent. I know what you did. I know everything!"

"Ah, you see I am an explorer. I see and do many things. Please enlighten me with what exactly you think I have done."

"You took my daughter you stupid son of a bitch! My little, beautiful, sweet little daughter!"

"I am afraid that does not narrow it down in the slightest. A name might help me remember her more clearly."

"Tivella! Her name was Tivella!"

"Oh, I remember her quite clearly. What a lively little girl. Her smile was truly something special to behold."

"And you murdered her!"

"No. I did no such thing. Sweet Tivella is very much still alive."

"You liar! You killed her!"

"I rarely lie and I definitely would not make light of the fate of the children under my care."

"Then where is she? Where is my girl you maniac?"

While all of this was going on Tanya´s mind was franticly searching for a solution. Her supervisor was in mortal danger from a maniac who seemed to be an idiot. Seriously, who talked with their back turned towards an open door in this kind of situation? Anyways, that would give her a good opportunity to strike him from behind. There were only two problems: She had nothing to hit him with and she was too tiny to reach his neck or his head to instantly take him out.

She vaguely overheard him saying something about his supposed daughter and a desperate idea struck her. The maniac appeared to be very protective of his child which probably meant that he wouldn't harm another one like her. For some reason he also seemed to accuse Bondrewd of child-murder. If he himself killed another a child then he would stand there as a hypocrite. Nobody would be that stupid, right?

It was a unbelievably moronic plan that she loather with every fibre of her being, but she was running out of time and she would not let her father employer be killed right now! She loved needed him after all!

She made sure to slowly and quietly open the door and held up both her hands to signal for Bondrewd to stay calm. He made only the tiniest of movements, but she knew that he had noticed her. That mask of his allowed for incredible perception even without any visible eyeholes.

"Your daughter resides currently in my miniature garden of dawn not too far from here. I could show you if you want."

"No I had enough of your bullshit! You are going to pay for your sins right now!"

"Ah hello uncle! Why are you shouting so much? That is rude you know?"

Tanya had pitched her voice as high as she could and had even added a girlish lisp to her pronunciation. She hated it!

"What?"

The man whipped his head around, but was clever enough to still point his strange firearm at Bondrewd. Damn it! She had hoped her entrance would distract him enough that he would temporarily forget about his victim.

"I said that it is rude to shout."

She went up to him and grabbed the edge of his coat. Maybe playing stupid would work.

"That´s a cool thingy you got there uncle. Can I touch it?"

"W- What? No!"

"Why not? Pleas uncle! Show it to me."

"I said no."

She pouted and enlarged her eyes as much as she could. Her forgotten dignity sulked in a dark corner of her mind.

"Pleaaase uncle? I promise I´ll be a good girl."

"Leave us child. This is no place for a little girl like you."

Her tiny hands grabbed his clothes harder and she clung to his leg.

"Then you will have to come with me loud uncle. I will not let you go before we have played together!"

"No!" and pain erupted all over her face.

Tanya had expected many things; a backhand from an adult man however had not been one of them.

Bondrewd had used the offered distraction to lift up his arm, but before he could do anything the crazy man had grabbed Tanya faster than she thought possible and held her to his chest. The bastard was using her as a living shield! How deplorable could this man get?

"One false movement and I blow her brains out!"

"To use a child in a conflict that you could have settled with your own strength is truly detestable I must say." said Bondrewd´s calm and soft voice.

She had gotten used to his nearly imperceptible mood changes over the last few months, but never before had she heard that emotion from him. Was that... anger?

"I do not enjoy doing this, but if it is a necessary step in ending your tyranny of evil then I have to.

Now she had to act fast. The maniac was apparently very willing to hurt her if it helped him achieve his goals. How could she get out of this situation? Bondrewd couldn't attack the madman, because he would either hit her or the man himself would do so himself. She was too weak to do anything...
Unless?

It was a terrible idea. Even worse than her first plan. It was humiliating and degrading on every conceivable level, but she was running out of options. Fast.

Tanya sucked her breath in and spoke with a voice that felt not like her own:
"O Lord, you gave us life to praise your wonders."

"What the hell?"

"Now take it away for not all are worthy of your rapture.

"Praying won´t help you little girl. Be silent!"

"So that your believers may walk freely on this earth..."

"Hey, why are you glowing?"

"... once more."

"Aaaaahhhhhhh..."

The man who had held her at gunpoint mere moments ago was reduced to a shower of blood and flesh that rained all over the room.

Tanya vomited on the ground. The day had started so nice...