Charles found his back against the wall as he could see the young woman standing before him. Although her smile looked to be pleasant, he knew that there was something much more sinister behind it. For anyone else watching it would difficult to believe that she was a part of a cult that willingly sacrificed the lives of others to appease their god.

It was also obvious to him that this woman was not the delicate being that she appeared to be. On a couple of occasions, he had tried to move away from her but each time she was able to get in front of him and even strike him to keep him where he was. The strikes had not been too painful and were more intended to keep him in place. She could seriously hurt him if she wished but for now that didn't seem to be the case.

"What are you?" asked Charles as he looked in some terror. He was still wielding the hunting knife that he had borrowed from Maxine but somehow, he didn't think that it would help in this situation.

"I'm just someone who is doing what they must for Lord Xinus," replied the young woman. Her voice was seductive but there was something else underneath it, something that many would consider to be evil.

"But why, what's the point in killing so many innocent people. Surely no god could call for such sacrifice." He could still feel his heartbeat and it seemed to be increasing, a cold sweat ran down his brow as he thought about his options. There didn't seem to be too many in front of him that would lead to a truly positive end.

"It is not my place to question the wishes of Lord Xinus, only to serve." She took a few steps forward and Charles discovered that he could step back no further. His back was already against the wall. "Father wants you downstairs with the others so that you can watch that big bitch of yours be sacrificed first. I must say that she is bigger than I thought any maiden could get. But then again, that just means that there is more of her to sacrifice. It would probably be the most useful thing that she could do."

Charles remained quiet as he continued to weigh his options. All routes of escape seemed to be blocked off to him. The only way that he was going to get out of there alive was to go through the Young Woman but already he knew that this was much harder than it actually looked.

His grip on the knife tightened as he contemplated about his next move. There was an idea to use the knife against her but unfortunately that meant that he would likely kill her. He had already taken at least two lives and some would think that taking another in this situation wasn't going to make a different. This was not how he thought though, more and more he hoped that he would never have to take another life again. Unfortunately, it seemed that no matter which way he looked it was something that was likely to happen.

Instead of resorting to the knife Charles instead attempted what for him was a powerful kick that was targeted squarely at the chest of the Young Woman. However, much to his horror he saw her easily block the kick and with a sick smile on her face she twisted his leg. It was not quick enough to break his leg but instead did send him crashing down to the ground below. There was some pain from his leg but not enough to cause him any serious harm.

In the fall Charles also dropped his knife but this didn't seem to matter as he saw the foot of the Young Woman come crashing down towards him. Thinking quickly, he was able to roll out of the way and get up to his feet. Rather than being angry about this she seemed to chuckle as she enjoyed what was taking place.

Now that he was up to his feet Charles attempted a combination of punches but he was surprised to see that the Young Woman either dodged or blocked every single one of his blows. This surprised him greatly but nothing more than a sudden impact into his midsection as he felt himself getting punched again. He had only just caught his breath after last time but now it had been knocked out all over again.

"H-How are you so strong?" asked Charles as he couldn't believe what was taking place. He was struggling to catch his breath and he could see the Young Woman standing over him with the same smile on her face.

"Well a gal has to know how to look out for herself," replied the Young Woman. "When you have several men trying to touch you in, let's say uncomfortable parts, you have to show them your disapproval. And it's also helpful with dealing with sacrifices who are unwilling to do what needs to be done."

"I-I'm not going to die," replied Charles who slowly stood up to his feet. He knew that the Young Woman could easily finish him off in his weakened state but she seemed to be enjoying the pain that she was causing. He couldn't help but feel a little hopeless as his mind tried to think of a way out of the situation. "I'm only going to die when I'm a hundred and surrounded by my loved ones."

"We all have dreams, unfortunately not many of them come true." She watched as Charles attempted to dart forward, this time it wasn't to attack but instead to get away from her. His actions only led to a strong kick and an uppercut that once again sent him flying to the ground. "Why don't you just accept your fate? No matter how many times you get back up, I'll just knock you down again. If you come quietly, maybe father will allow your sacrifice to be quick and painless."

"I-I'm not done yet." He held onto his side where he could feel some pain. With everything that was on the line he knew that he couldn't give up. His hands were on the ground and when he looked a little to his left, he could see hunting knife that he had dropped. For the moment it seemed like she hadn't noticed this either.

"Oh, give up already, out of all the men I've put down I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you are the weakest and most pathetic out of all of them. Seriously if I was you, I'd give up, you're only making this worse for yourself. I don't want to start breaking any bones, but I might have to. Or I might do it just for the fun of it."

By then she had taken a few steps towards Charles and from what he could see she looked to be very confident. This did make him nervous but it was also something that he was hoping to happen. She seemed overconfident and this often led to mistakes. Subtly he reached for the knife and was able to grab onto it.

Just as the Young Woman stepped close enough to Charles, he closed his eyes and with as much speed as could muster, he slashed the knife up. He expected the knife to be knocked out of his hand but instead he felt it strike something. Mere moments after that he heard her screaming in agony.

When he opened his eyes, he could see that the Young Woman was screaming and staggering back. Her hands were on her face and she continued to scream, when he looked at his blade, he could see that there was fresh blood on it.

"My face!" shouted the Young Woman in both agony and anger. "You've destroyed my beautiful face!"

Charles could see blood coming through the fingers of the Young Woman but as she continued to stagger back, she was stepping perilously close to the top of the stairs. Knowing that this was now or never he quickly got up to his feet and darted forward. She was still in agony and could do nothing to stop him as he tackled her.

This sent them both flying down the stairs as Charles could feel pain every time that he struck the stairs. The fall only lasted for a few seconds but to him it was like he was falling down a mountain. He felt the impact of each step and he even heard a couple of relatively quiet cracking sounds. This was soon followed by a much louder crack which sounded like a bone snapping.

With a loud thud both Charles and the Young Woman landed at the bottom of the stairs. The first thing that he felt was pain in his side and as he moved his hand down there to investigate, he felt an even greater pain. It seemed obvious to him now that he had broken one of his ribs and it made it difficult for him to breathe. There was other pain around his body that he could feel but there didn't seem to be any broken bones.

As he turned his head, he saw the Young Woman looking directly at her. This caused him to shunt his body quickly as he feared that she would get up and strike him again. However, she didn't move at all, this caused him some confusion as he looked at her, it was the first time that he could see the damage that had been caused by his slash earlier. There was a large cut on the right side of her face that had even sliced her eye. It looked quite disgusting but he also saw that the way that she lay her head was in an unusual angle. It seemed like the fall had broken her neck and subsequently killed her.

Charles realised that this was another death on his conscience but for the time being he pushed it to the back on his mind. Instead he slowly rose back up to his feet and began to stagger forwards. He had picked up a minor injury to his leg and although it would likely heal quickly for the time being it made it difficult for him to walk. Normally he would have stopped so that he could give his body the time that it needed to heal.

Instead he began to step forward with the hunting knife in his hand. He had fallen into the main tavern where he and so many others were enjoying the food and drink on offer. It was hard for him to believe that almost everyone there was dead.

This wasn't the only thing that was on Charles's mind, he was making his way to the other set of stairs that led down to the basement. He clearly remembered the horrors that were down there and he stumbled along as best as he could. His common sense was telling him to turn around and leave this place and never think about it again. However, he knew that was where Maxine was being kept and that she was at the mercy of Cornelius.

More than ever he hoped that the drugs that were keeping her in the state that she was in would wear out and she would come to her senses. Then she would be more than capable of looking after herself, until then she was defenceless.

It took Charles much longer than he would have liked to reach the staircase that led down into the basement. He had to grab onto the banister in order to walk down them. Each step that he took caused him great discomfort. Adding to his broken rib it was obvious that he was in a bad way.

His descent had not gone unnoticed as this time he couldn't stay quiet. It was picked up by Cornelius who saw the relatively small man reach the bottom of the stairs. Along the way his nose had been greeted with the scent of death and decay. But what he saw next did shock him a fair amount. He saw the still mentally incapacitated Maxine sitting down on the ground with Cornelius standing over her.

The sacrificial dagger that he had used to murder countless people was right onto the neck of the large muscular woman. If she had been standing up, he didn't have a hope of reaching the neck of a nine-foot woman, instead by sitting on the ground he was more than capable of reaching her neck. A smile was on his face as he saw Charles approaching and from the looks of his injuries, he didn't think that he would be a great threat.

"Stop right there!" demanded Cornelius. He made sure that the blade of the dagger was right on Maxine's neck. He didn't place enough pressure onto the dagger to slice her but enough to prove that he was willing to do so. "Take another step and I'll make sure this big bitch bleeds like a pig."

"This madness ends here," replied Charles. After everything that had happened, he knew that he couldn't shrink away like he had before. Instead he knew that in order to save Maxine he had to stand his ground.

"What madness? All I see are sacrifices to a higher being, you're just too narrow minded to see it. Everything that we've done is for our Lord Xinus, he will greatly reward us for our deeds."

"You've killed countless people for some made up god?"

"HE'S NOT MADE UP!!!!" Cornelius's voice was loud and Charles for a moment thought that the madman would slit Maxine's throat. Thankfully he did no such thing, at least for the time being. "Lord Xinus cares deeply about his followers and needs all the sacrifices that he can to enter our world. When he arrives, all will bow to him and those that follow him will become a god amongst insects."

"Is that what you've been told?" He lowered the volume of his voice and tried to sound understanding. Although he was afraid, he knew that he had to do what he could to ensure the safety of Maxine.

"It's what I know, everything that I have done has been to further the return of Lord Xinus. Every sacrifice, every ale that I've poured has been to his benefit. But sacrificing you will be a pleasure. You killed my friend and my mother. Since you haven't captured, I'm assuming that you killed my other friend and daughter." Even though he was supposed to feel very angry and upset about this, for the moment he couldn't help but feel calm. Although he was sure that they were all dead, he knew that they were with their god and thus much happier than they were on this mortal plain.

"I-I." Charles didn't know what to say. He thought that if he confirmed this fact that it would lead to Maxine losing her life. This was something that he couldn't allow but he knew that he had to give some kind of answer. He looked at Maxine as well and he couldn't help but find her expression unnerving. Her eyes were wide open and she was barely blinking, there was no emotion on her face and it was obvious that although she was seemingly awake that there wasn't much brain activity going on.

"Don't answer that. Instead I'm giving you an option. It's obvious to me that you're more than you seem. Your silence has confirmed that you've killed four of my closest associates, if I were to kill your friend here then you'd likely kill me shortly after." In his mind Charles was some kind of stone-cold killer, he didn't realise that this was further from the truth. "So, I have a proposition for you, if you let me sacrifice you then I'll let your friend here live. Once the drugs in her system have worn off, she can be on her merry way."

"If I let you sacrifice me, how am I to know that you'll actually keep your end of the bargain?" He wanted to step forward but he still didn't want to risk it. With what was at stake he knew that it could turn ugly very quickly. An idea did pop into his head and although it was risky, he still thought that it could work.

"You don't, but some chance is better than no chance. Wouldn't you agree?" An evil smile appeared on his face which sent a shiver down Charles's spine. There was truth to what Cornelius was saying but Charles was no fool. He knew that if he didn't do something about it, neither he nor Maxine would be leaving this place alive. If he remembered what he heard earlier then his plan just might work.

"Maxine, there's ale and pies upstairs. Go an enjoy yourself."

This seemed to connect a few dots in Maxine's head and almost instantly the nine-foot woman stood up to her full height. Although the knife was right next to her throat the suddenness of her stand up made her escape from the grip of Cornelius. It was not enough to force him to drop the knife but enough to catch him off guard.

The ceiling in the basement was just about high enough for her to stand up without knocking her head on it. Acting on instinct she began to walk out of the basement and up the stairs. While doing this Charles tried to dart forwards as quickly as he could but with the injury to his leg this was something that was extremely difficult for him to do. Instead he saw an angry Cornelius dart towards him instead.

The sacrificial dagger that was used to murder countless people was coming directly at Charles. Thankfully his own pace was slow enough so that he could drop to the floor before the blade could come into contact. Cornelius was quite surprised to miss him but he was more than able to turn himself around.

This caused more problems for Charles who was struggling to get up. He was able to turn onto his back just as Cornelius came over him with the dagger still in his hand. It was aimed directly at his heart but using his good leg he was able to kick at him. At first it did little but as the kicks continued, he could see that it caused the murderer to stagger back a little.

Charles quickly got up to his feet and he had a firm grip on Maxine's hunting knife as darted forward. His pace was slower than he would have liked and in this situation. He knew that the only way he could leave this place alive was to kill Cornelius. Every other option before him was no longer available. He was too injured to try and escape and if he did try, he would be quickly killed along with Maxine.

Instead he gave a lout grunt of effort as he plunged the knife into the staggered Cornelius's chest. There was a loud scream of pain from the Tavern Keeper as he went down to the ground. Charles fell with him but something primal unlocked inside of him, a do or die mentality which forced him to take the knife out and then plunge it into the chest again. This happened several times.

It took around a minute before Charles finally stopped as he looked into the dead eyes of Cornelius. It was only then that he snapped back to reality and was horrified by what he had done. The knife was still in his hand and he quickly dropped it with absolute disgust. There were so many stab wounds to the chest of Cornelius that he couldn't count them, all he could see was a sea of red and he felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Despite all the death and carnage around him he couldn't help but cry. He cried more than he had ever done before, even when he was a young child and learned that his father would never be returning home. He was relieved to be alive but more than anything he felt that he was no better than the family that ran this place. They had killed for religious reasons and he had killed as well. In his mind it didn't matter the reason, it was all the same to him and he couldn't help but pity himself. As he looked at his hands he could see that they were covered in blood and to him it was an image that he would never forget.

His own sorrow was distracted when he heard a loud crashing sound coming from upstairs. That was when he realised that Maxine was still up there, despite his feeling and injuries he moved up there as soon as he could. He was worried that in her mentally vulnerable state that she might accidentally hurt herself.

It took him longer than he would have liked to travel up the stairs and enter the main tavern. There he saw that the door to the tavern had been ripped off of its hinges and thrown to one side. He slowly staggered towards it and when he looked inside he could see the still sleep walking Maxine gorging herself on the food that it contained. She was too tall to stand up straight in it so she bent down and ate whatever she could get her hands on.

Despite the fact that she was still drugged she seemed to be perfectly fine. This gave Charles something to be happy about and he stepped inside. There was some water located just outside which he quickly washed his hands in. As he did he saw it turn a red colour and he couldn't bear to look at it.

Instead when he felt that enough of the blood was washed off he gently grabbed onto Maxine's large hand. He expected her to hit him or at least pull away, instead she turned and looked at him with a carrot sticking out of her mouth. The sight would have been comical to him if not for what had taken place earlier.

"Ms Maxine," said Charles. "It's time for you to go to bed." The muscular giantess didn't respond with words. Instead she gave him a small nod and allowed him to lead her out of pantry.

With some care he made his way back up the stairs with the giant woman walking just behind him. More than anything he wanted to get away from this place but he knew that in her state it was best for Maxine not to go anywhere. She needed to sleep the effects of the drugs off and she would be less than happy if they left without her armour.

Before long they did return to the room where they had been resting before. They even had to step over the body of the old woman in order to get inside. This caused Charles to feel a wave of shame while Maxine didn't react in the slightest. Instead under his instruction she lay down in the bed and closed her eyes.

Not long after this Charles looked over her and he couldn't help but feel happy to see that she was uninjured. Now that the killer family were dead he knew that for tonight no one would harm them. But with everything that had happened he didn't think that the would be able to sleep.

Instead he sat on a nearby chair and simply sat there for hours with the events of the night replaying in his mind over and over again. He wanted to believe that it was all some kind of bad dream but he knew that wasn't the case. There was still blood on his clothing and he felt dirty inside. More than anything else he felt a great deal of shame.

Eventually dawn did come and not too long after that Maxine's eyes began to open. However rather than sleepwalking again she was simply awake. She yawned before groaning with some discomfort. It was obvious that she was feeling the after effects of the alcohol and sedatives that she had consumed. She did look over to where Charles was sitting and she was surprised to see him there.

"C-Charles," said Maxine. She was feeling off but she tried to act as if there was nothing wrong. "What are you doing over there?" As he focused more on him she could see the blood on his clothing and she also began to smell something off. This forced her to look over to the door and she could see the body of the old woman lying there. This caused her some concern as she went to get out of bed.

"Don't bother trying to help her," replied Charles. His voice was filled with sorrow and regret. "She's already dead."

"How do you know?" By now she was getting back up to her feet but she felt herself become lightheaded and she needed to place her hand on a nearby wall in order to steady herself.

"Because I..." He knew that he needed to say about what had happened but he found himself becoming tongue tied. "I-I killed her."

"You did what?" This caused her to look over to him with some anger on her face. She was also afraid of the consequences that might come of this. "Why would you do something like that?"

"T-There's something that you need to see ma'am."

He knew that his words would not sway her completely and he got up out of the chair. He began to walk out of the room and Maxine followed behind him. She was ready to grab onto him if she felt like she had to. She feared that after murdering the old woman that her squire would become a wanted man. Never did she think that he was capable of doing such a thing but as they walked she began to see the bodies of the other members of the family. Each time Charles would stat that he killed them as well.

One thing that she did notice was that the tavern seemed completely empty. This was one thing that she found odd as it had been very lively the night before. Even most had fled because of Charles murdering the owners there would have still been people around. The more she walked through the tavern the more that she felt that there was something not right with it.

She did notice a couple of more dead bodies along the way, they were still those that belonged to the people who ran the tavern. She was surprised that Charles was able to kill them, it did give her the thought of stopping her squire here and now but her uneasiness with the forced her to keep going.

It was only when Maxine followed him down the stairs to the basement that she began to realise what had taken place there. Her nose was greeted with the same stench of death that Charles had experienced the night prior. When she finally entered the basement she could see the horror that was inside. All the blood and body parts that were around the room was almost too much for her to take. Thanks to a combination of what she was experiencing and the after effects of drugs she couldn't help but throw up. One thing that she did notice was that her hunting knife was on the ground and she quickly picked it up.

She knew that there was more going on there than what it first seemed and rather than saying a word she instead turned around and made her way back up the stairs. Like her squire she would never forget what she saw. He too was incredibly quiet but he was instructed to remain in the main tavern for the time being.

With that Maxine returned to the room but she returned to Charles only a couple of minutes later. This time she was wearing her full armour and had her sword by her side. She had also picked up Charles's belongings and gave them to him. It was only then that she gave him one simple instruction.

"Burn it down!"

A few minutes later the tavern had started to burn after Maxine and Charles had started a few fires in various places inside. It didn't take long for the entire wooden structure to be completely engulfed in flames. The pair watched from a safe distance and they hoped that the horror that had taken place there would too be burned away.

Charles couldn't help but think about what he had experienced the night before and he couldn't help but cry. Like a scared child he wrapped his hands around Maxine and buried his face in her armour. Normally he would not attempt such a thing as he feared that she would simply throw him off. She had more than enough strength to do so and could possibly hurt him. Instead her armour-clad hand came down towards him and stroked his hair gently. This caused him to look up at her, tears were still rolling down his cheeks and he thought that he must have looked quite dishevelled.

"It's alright Charles," said Maxine. Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, almost like a mother's voice. By now she fully understood what had happened and what her squire had gone through. He was in a very delicate frame of mind. "You're safe now."

Charles looked up at Maxine for another few moments before he continued crying and once again buried his head into her armour. The structure before them was an inferno and the column of smoke could be seen for miles. Burning away this place could never erase what had happened, For the rest of their lives they would never forget these events or how close they were to death.