Well, after being on the road for so long with that carriage rumbling across uneven road Fiona wasn’t about to look a gift bed in the sheets. “Think I’ll take you up on the bed if you are really sure it's alright.” 

Ana smiled softly. “The Followers preach giving to one’s fellow man. What is mine is yours, traveler. Please make yourself at home.”

She stood and led Fiona over to the door to her room. It was a rather modest little room with icons of the Venerated hanging all around it. Easily the room that was the most protected with holy icons. There was a crucifix hanging on each of the four walls of the room as well as one on either side of the doors. It was clearly the stronghold of this whole Church. Made sense given where they were. One couldn’t take too many precautions. 

“You should be completely safe here. The church is protected against the foul beings of the night by the influence of the Venerated. Please, rest easy traveler and heal in peace.” Ana said with a serene expression on her pretty face. 

Fiona nodded. “You got it, thanks again Sister! I’ll be up and ready to take on the world after a little nap I’m sure.” 

With that the door was closed rather softly with a click. It was then that Fiona noted that even the doorknob of the room was gilded in silver and had icons of the Venerated stamped onto it. The blonde haired woman shook her head. The Followers didn’t take any chances it seemed when it came to this type of thing. Really, Fiona probably could have taken a few cues from them. Fiona took off her boots and laid back against the bed. She felt like a complete idiot for her blunder earlier. 

The blonde did wonder, was this place actually safe or was it just not something that the undead could bring themselves to bother with. Whatever the case was they didn't seem to come near here. But what if Fiona led them here? What if her little incident had them showing up at the door? It was an unpleasant thought really. Not one that she wanted to linger on for too long. No. The Sister said it would be safe. She had been living her for a while probably. It was just her nerves talking from the attack. Or concern for the Sister that was currently sleeping on the pew outside. A bit of guilt assailed here there.

She rested her head back against the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. For whatever reason… Fiona was finding it tricky keeping her eyes open. There was a wave of fatigue that was assailing her all of a sudden. A numbing sensation was radiating from where she had been bitten. Was it the medicine? Whatever it was the blonde was finding it next to impossible to keep her eyes open. She was drifting and drifting until blackness at last took her. 

It was an unknown amount of time later when Fiona awoke and when she did she felt… so much better. She didn’t feel pain on her hand anymore and indeed there was a lovely warmth from having enjoyed actually sleeping in a bed. It felt, well, divine. She still felt kind of bad for robbing the sister of her bed but it was only for an evening and she felt better than ever. So much better really that she could bet she could take on whatever the city had to throw at her. She cracked a little yawn as she slid from the bed regretfully and started padding her way toward the door, the cold stones of the floor sending goosebumps rising as her feet slid across it. 

She pulled the door inward and… her eyes widened as she caught it first out of the corner of her vision and then directly staring at it. There were… claw marks on the door. Deep. Red. Scratching all across the door but especially around the handle with the holy symbols. And upon the knob itself were bloody fingerprints. She… hadn’t heard any of this. Fiona felt adrenaline surge through her body and she rushed from the room. 

“Sister Ana! Sister, are you alright?” She called as she rushed into the chapel proper. 

She looked around and spied the Sister’s legs out on a pew, resting like how she might if sleeping. Fiona felt some relief as she made her way over there quickly. “Sister, the door, what happened-”

And then she saw it. A pool of blood so thick it didn’t seem like it could have come from a human being was upon the floor, creeping under the pews. The Sister was indeed lying there. Peacefully, like she was sleeping. It would have been convincing if not for the deep gash that was cut into her neck, so deep one could almost see the spine. So deep it was a miracle it hadn’t just completely decapitated her. Her eyes were closed as though in slumber and her expression was oddly peaceful. But the sight. It was anything but peaceful. 

“A-aaa… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” 

Fiona let out a scream and stumbled backward, landing hard against the wall. She had seen death before. Plenty of times. She had killed monsters and criminals but this just seemed. Different in a way. The door to the chapel was open, the crucifix on the front of the door removed. The statue at the main altar had its head removed and the head was placed on the altar a mocking desecration of the church. The other locked doors in the church had similar claw marks as the ones on Fiona’s door as well, clearly someone or something had been trying to get in. 

The sight was just lingering in Fiona’s mind; she was entranced by it. Horrified by it. It had an almost ritualistic air about it with how the Sister was posed. The adventurer squeezed her eyes shut, wishing this was a dream. Wishing she could just wake up in the bed. Wishing she hadn’t told the Sister to sleep on the Pew! Venerated she hadn’t known, she hadn’t known what would have happened! 

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, oh fuck why…” She didn’t have an answer for that. She didn’t know how it could happen, how someone could do this. 

It took her a good few minutes to have the shock wear off. The blonde slowly managed to stand up. She took a few deep breaths. Right. This could only have been the work of the minions of the Countess. She didn’t know how but they had managed to get into the Church and kill Ana. But the blessings on the other rooms had clearly been too much for them to get entry to. That was her working theory anyway. The question was… now what. 

B-3a: Fiona investigates outside the Church

B-3b: Fiona investigates the locked rooms in the Church (To be Added)