A charnel house.

As they charge at me, I start by throwing my only current weapon, a rat-faced fool by the name of Georgie.

"AAAAH!" He screams, ploughing into the two fishermen whos names I had yet to learn; similarly nameless foes were all my first targets, as they wouldn't be effected by my first spell.

First to reach me; Than the Fisherman thrusted forward with a fishing spear, which bounced off the scales at my shoulder, allowing me to close the gap between us and land a full **** punch into his throat. This sent the man to the ground immediately, gasping for air. The next two to get within attacking range were behind me, a nameless normal clothed man, and the Lumberjack Jene. Jene was first to swing his axe, while the second stayed back holding what seemed to be a metal candlestick. Rather than move away from the axe, I moved into it, having its handle hit where the head was intended to cleave me. The handle was far flimsier than it looked, as it snapped on impact. The blunt **** was still enough to knock the air from my lungs, and send me to my knees as the candlestick man charged. He landed a solid blow on my skull, drawing a steady trickle of surprisingly light-ish red colored blood that flowed down my forehead. His second swing was caught by my tail, which acted on instinct, and twisted his wrist at an odd angle.

"GRAAAAH! Me arm! Me arm!" The man yelp, falling to the ground as he writhed in pain.

"Fuck your arm, Donovan! He broke my axe!" Jene yelled, lunging at me with his bare hands, unwittingly giving me another name.

Due to his weighty frame and the speed of his lunge, I was able to turn its momentum against him. Leaning further down as he leapt, I grasped him as he flew overhead with both arms, slamming him down to earth. The sickening crack of his neck as his skull impacted the earth was... satisfying...

"JENE!" Garant; one of the fishermen whose name I had learned, called out to the corpse. "HE WAS MY COUSIN, YOU FREAK!"

Garant, who instead bore large butcher hooks, sprinted towards me. The others were staring silently at the body of their comrade as he did so, seemingly having lost a bit of their previous bravado. This was the perfect time for my spell, as only one simpleton could try to interrupt its deathly incantation.

I spoke, and as I did, my voice was one with Madness, whose chorus of silent throats rang out into the waking world; the sound of which stopped Garant in his tracks.

Claw, Tail, Knuckle, Wrist.

Your Names On ****'s List.

Dark Shadow, Dead Mist.

Die. Assassin's Fist.

With the words complete, tendrils of wispy nothing began to seep from the tree-line, or from the shadows of my assailants and myself, pooling around my left hand. I could feel the dark power emanate from my now clenched hand, preparing to take on the twelve remaining fools.

"Do not fear, Brothers. He is still but a shadow! Bring him our Lady's light!" Cried Sarmenti, still calmly sitting, sharpening his blade... wait.

As he did so, he was whispering something... as the whetstone was gleaming slightly. The next thing I knew, Than, who had previously been clutching his throat from a smashing blow, had rose to his feet as though nothing had happened; the same gleam was emanating from his bruised neck. Looking to Jene, his corpse had no such glow. Good, he can't raise the dead.

"Die, freak!" Cried Than, who regained his spear along with his footing, and charged.

"AAARGH!" His thrust was sloppy, but my next punch was far more serious than the last.

As I went clean through his chest, my elbow poking out the other side as my hand held aloft one of his tattered lungs. The onlooking men freeze up once more, but I wont let this fear go to waste either, and charge towards the once nameless Donovan; who's wrist I had broken. His arm was glowing dimly as he whimpered on the ground, not seeing my approach as I quickly lift my fist high, and bring it down into his skull. A loud squelching can be heard as his brains plaster the field. Three down. Ten to go.

Georgie screams and scrambles to his feet. "Fuck this! I should have stuck to drinking!" As he flees towards Sarmenti, and perceived safety.

As he attempts to hide behind the noble figure of Sarmenti, the man rises, his channeling interrupted..Fleeing was a bad move, as in one swift movement, he slices Georgie's throat... He stole our fun! What? No, that's good. One less to deal with.

The rat lay bleeding out, grasping his throat, as Sarmenti spits on his soon to be corpse, saying "Cowards are anathema to our Lady, Georgie. Bleed and be purified, that you may be reborn courageous."

After seeing this, two other men sprint towards me. One of the unnamed normal men using a table leg; like the now dying Georgie, and a fisherman I knew to be named Klook; the one with the curved blade. The one with the table leg had gotten to me first, as Klook had to deal with some sort of a joint problem in his right knee. I dodge his first swing, then his second; which left his back exposed as the fool lost his footing and span around. I quickly wrap my left arm around his throat; still enhanced by the Assassin's Fist spell, and proceed to slam him with three punches directly to his right kidney using my un-enhanced right hook. The pain causes the man to go limp just as Klook approaches, and attempts a thrust with his blade. I oblige him by throwing the limp nameless into the way of the thrust, impaling the man through the gut and spine. The sudden shock of having impaled his own ally gave me a chance to duck down, and swing my dark fist into the man's left kneecap. It bent inward with an echoing noise of flesh and bone ripping apart as he screamed to the heavens. The two were not dead; although the impaled one was nearing that final slumber. Seven more to go.

"Just rush him all at once, you apes!" Screamed Sarmenti, however, the remaining six men were far from ready to approach.

Another chance for a spell... one more draining...

Once more, Madness and I begin to speak as one; although by now, I begin to tire from the exertions of might and magic in equal measures.

Enter Now, My Domain.

Come, And Soon Remain.

Enter, Oldest House.

Stay. Die. Little Mouse.

In Woods; Eldest Elm.

Enter, Shadow Realm!

Once more the shadows wrap around me, but now they do so to a much larger extent. My whole body is wrapped in its damp, cold, nightmarish embrace. I can feel each inch of its deathly weave, as it writhes like the waves of an ocean. Tendrils of naught form and dissipate at random across my being at random, with all that my opponents are able to see of my previous appearance being just my eyes; burning red. We love it! We are using it, that is all. All six of the remaining men see this new horrific visage of mine, and decide that life is worth living. What a shame, their screams were so funny! They scatter like the worms they are, wriggle wriggle wriggle! Making for the tree-line, as the fisherman named Brick is sadly slain by the clown, by Sarmenti as he flees, another quick, near imperceivably slash to the throat.

"Fine. I supposes It must be I who champions the cause, then hunt the deserters. Just like the war." He mutters, taking a duelers stance as he awaits our tender, loving embrace!

We RUSH HIM! No! We slowly approach! WHY?! I WANT BLOOD IN OUR MOUTH! His! Not ours! BOTH! LET US ALL BLEED! SILENCE!!!

I approach slowly, cloaked in shadow, a fist-full of darkness.

"A shame your Assassins Fist would only work the on commoners, needing a full name and all. You don't know my family name, and so I do believe this is checkmate." Sarmenti mocks US?! HE MOCKS US!? KILL! SILENCE!

"So... you... know?" I ask, without your beautiful choir I can't form full sentences, damn you.

He delights in his words, practically dancing at the TUNE OF HIS OWN HEARTBEAT, TEAR IT FROM HIS CHEST! "I've fought it all; killed it all. Now, monster. Will you receive her mercy? Your foolish scare tactics with that Shadow Realm won't work on me, nor will its evasive properties allow you to escape the light."

I have an idea!

No, Bad Idea.

GREAT IDEA! GIVE ME THE WHEEL!

FINE! We'll do it. But I'm driving.

"Yes... Give me... her mercy..." I say, giving my best impression of a sad beast, loathing its own FLESHY FACE AND MIND! Stop that!

"...what?" He is taken aback, ITS SO FUNNY!

"Do... it..." I fall to my knees, releasing both of my spells from my body.

He looks at me with confusion, then nods in a strangely empathetic realization. THE FOOL, HAHAHA! "Ah... you feel guilt for the lives you have taken... I see. Well then, let us begin."

He approaches, placing his right hand on my forehead; still leaking a light crimson stream.

He begins to speak, his eyes glowing a bright red.

"I see within you."

"Darkness. Shadow true."

"Demon. Devil. Foe."

"Beast that I lay low."

"Join Light. Swear the vow."

"To Pyurus, you bow."

"As did Saint Percy."

"I grant Her Mercy."

A flash of red light engulfs my vision... and nothing happens. We have a human soul, after all...

He stumbles back, dropping his sword as he looses his footing in disbelief. "But... how..."

"Your faith is weak, mortal." I didn't say that. What are you doing?! Shh...

I pick up his dropped weapon with my tail, guiding it to his throat.

"You liked it, didn't you? When you killed her?" It says, damn it all, give me back my body!

"How did you..." The whimpering Sarmenti says, fear in his eyes truer than any of his remarks.

"I heard it, in your heartbeat when you approached the temple. The rhythm of a killer. The rhythm of a defiler. The rhythm of a monster." It continues... what are you saying? How did you know he killed someone?

"She was a heretic! A hybrid! She deserved worse!" The man shouts, tears in his eyes. He lies to even himself. Hear the heart. Learn it, Ego. Its a part of us now.

"Of course she did. As does all life."

It thrusts the sword into Sarmenti's throat, silencing him, but keeping him alive.

"Now... where was I? Ah... yes. A demonstration, Ego. Of what... we... are..." My body, controlled by this... thing, begins to shudder.

I hear bones crack, flesh re-arrange, and the haunting laughter of It through my own mouth. My right arm twists and breaks, reforming into a mass of black tendrils, which quickly find a new home. They bury themselves like spears into the body of Sarmenti, who's silent screams and prayers can now only be heard by his god; who has abandoned him.

A monster knows exactly what they are. It is inherit to the Core. However, Logic and Urge locked me away along with ALL of the knowledge of our new form; an accident made due to necessary haste. What fools, they would have never known what kind of Fae we take after. Not that silly Hawk Fairy that sweet Cilla spoke of, no. We are part Shiftling, little Ego. We can shape our beauty into anything we wish... watch!

The tendrils now grow spikes, and rip into the poor nobleman's body with the ease of a knife through mist.

We may be one part dragon; granting us immeasurable strength, and one part Shiftling; letting that strength have so much fun! But that doesn't explain our core... no no no... Logic will tell you all about it. Its the one piece I let him have... but I'll give you a hint. We are...

"A Monster..." You say, finally coming to your senses...

"Welcome... back... Logic." You say, pulling that mass of horror from the corpse of our once foe... the poor man.

You look to your left arm, and attempt to impose a reflection of it upon your mess of spiked tentacles. Thankfully, it seems to work. However, the process brings searing pain across your entire body; combined with utter exhaustion, this brings you to your knees.

Ego, We're so sorry. We should have kept it locked up even tighter.

"Yeah... Kinda my bad." Says Urge, with whom I agree. "HEY! ITS YOUR FAULT TOO!"

Yes. Yes it is...

In the near-distance, you hear a familiar high pitch voice cry out.

"OH. MY. ME!"