The church casts a long shadow. It is one that often takes our whole being it takes our whole being transmuting and changing us should we fall into its grasp. Yet it can’t help but comfort those who fell into it. It creeps into us it changes the landscape and our behaviour it gives us a sense of who we are and how to live. We still gain comfort from it in times of strife. As of now the shadows of both strife and the church have fallen upon a young girl. She can hear guns popping and screaming in the distance every time they went of she wanted to be safe and comforted it however everything was lost.
The only thing that she could hope to think was why why why. Why her why here why now Leah thought this as she clasped her hands together so tight they drew blood. Her prayers would fall on deaf ears though as they were interrupted by men entering the church. They were clad in black the only bit of colour that the uniform had was a Swastika glowing red with blood. They went to grab Leah she couldn’t do anything other than wriggling to the back of the church in an attempt to free herself from the men. Yet her attempt to do so was futile as one of the soldiers grabbed her by her hair to pin her to the wall she wanted to break free she tried to kick the man.
In her desperation, she dug her hands into her pockets tossing a pendant at the man she missed but it broke upon hitting the floor. This was it she thought as one of the men took a rusty bayonet out of his pocket and pressed it to her cheek. I’m dead she closed her eyes waiting to be stabbed by the thing. Yet it never came instead she saw a sword sticking out of her assailant’s belly.
It belongs to a round portly fellow with a handlebar moustache. He took the blade out saying “If you want to hurt someone hurt me” he boomed in a voice that instantly filled the room. The Nazies lined up they knew what was about to happen but they were going to fight anyway. One of them lunged trying desperately to kill the man he slashed the swordsman with his machete the swordsman dodged making it look like the man was flailing around as soon as he lost his footing Sigfried ran him through with his rapier. As soon as he was sure the Nazi that attacked him was dead he threw one of his knives catching the second Nazi in the throat.
While she was watching the fight something strange awoke in Leah she went for the knife in the Nazis troat while the knight was dealing with the third Nazi. She went for the fourth one leaping upon his back he tried to throw her off but she drove the knife deep into his neck rolling the man she struggled to stand but she felt invigorated she looked up as she saw the shadow of a cross & Sigfried covered in blood.
“You don’t need anything do you?” the man asked. Sigfried wouldn’t admit it but he was afraid of this girl the sight of blood was unbecoming to him. The girl shook her head as soon as she killed the man the adrenaline wore off. Realising that she was alone “Here you go.” Sigfried took off his cloak and wrapped her in it it was not too soon to as it started to rain.
“It will keep you warm.” Still terrified she was looking at the man with Doe like eyes she felt as if she did something wrong “It’s ok” Sigfried said, “It’s not your fault none of this is but Kiser isn’t going to like this.”
The man left the church staring back at the girl he asked “Are you coming or what? “Shit I forgot to introduce myself didn’t I the name is Sigfried I’m supposed to be your guardian spirit.” He said holding out his hand.
Leah took it “My what?” she asked
“Your spirit. For all intensive purposes, I’m here to change your life. So do you want to come with or you could stay and die?”
“I took your hand didn’t I,” she said.
Laughing at her boldness Sigfried said, “It’s true so if You want to come hang on.”
Leah spent the last few days travelling Leah only knew that that time passed due to her keeping track of how many times her eyes dimmed and light up. She kept her eyes closed up until the fourth cycle of this she was able to open them. When she opened her eyes the wind hit her with enough force to shut them again however she enjoyed this feeling she braved each blow embracing the wind as it kept forcing her eyes closed yet she wanted to face the world she wanted to open them. When she did she was greeted with a field of blue as yellow appeared the blue started to fold its self into yellow and the outline of several mountains started to appear.
When the outlines started to be filled more colours started to appear greys browns and whites it was beautiful and worth it, in the end, all things were. “It’s nice to see you’re awake it’s too bad it’s time for us to head down!” Sigfried yelled.
She was surprised at how quickly she warmed up to Sigfried given how terrified she was of him when they last spoke. Then again if it was him or the Nazies she would of rather hang out with Sigfried.
“Where are we going?”
“The occult society the fortress is in a bubble it’s difficult to find with the only exception being if you know where to go.”
“That is just fancy talk for you got to know someone isn’t it.”
“Yeah or be a spirit of some note.”
When the ghost landed with a lurch that made Leah’s feet feel numb. When she looked up she saw an old tower it looked as if it was a part of the old fortress 15th century. It looked as if it was the only thing that stood there. Everything else about the tower was odd for one she was expecting the mountains to be cold but in here they were hot it was cooler than anything she must have expected she guessed that this was one of the effects of the bubble. She wondered how people lived here it didn’t look like the tower could generate much heat she thought about how there was only one way to find out she took a deep breath she was going to find her home.
When she opened the door Leah found that the inside of the fortress revealed a different story. For one the building was more structurally sound than she was led to believe it was a thing that always impressed her about older buildings they often had a lot more going on than they seemed to display on the outside they always had stories. When she saw this one she sensed cosy chaos that you only ever get when your building is inhabited. The first thing Leah’s eyes turned to were the piles of books stacked as high as the eye can see.
They were messy but Leah sensed that they were placed there with an odd sense of dilibritnes it was the odd type of design choice that leads to a chaotic mess but it was one of those messes where the person who made it could easily locate something in it. She picked up one of the books to read it was a copy of the Ars Goetia with a hastily scribbled note saying property of Issa however as soon as she tried to read the book she found herself falling asleep after she got to the end of the first page.
When she woke the first thing Leah sensed was the scent of a ate breakfast she could only get the scent of some odd bits of bacon sausages and eggs. “Ah, you’re finally awake”. “You need to eat to get your strength back.” A man in his forties with a stern-looking face held out a plate he had white hair tied in a bun and grey stubble he looked like the type of inconspicuous person that would be found in an occult society.
Their was another boy but he was the type of regal guy with a bowl cut hair that only looked like he was here to impress daddy in some fashion since his appearance gave of no discernible character, to begin with so with no one to interest her she tucked into her food forgetting how hungry she was having not eaten for the last few days.
The last person to come into the room was a girl with curly brown hair and auburn skin Leah was immediately drawn to her. However, she just ignored that a new person was there at all and went back to work. She was the only one who Leah ever saw eat something with a pen in her hand & a piece of bread in her mouth. The only time Issa would break her form was when every few seconds she move to turn a page.
The silence was broken when the old man tapped the glass trying to grab everyone’s attention however no one cared and they just went to work.
“Well, now that everyone is listening allow me to introduce our new member. Leah”
He made a gesture towards Leah who was too busy trying to eat the rest of her breakfast. The other members of the organisation they belonged to didn’t look too interested in her either They just went back to doing what they were doing the boy was picking his toes while the girl just worked.
“Leah this is Adam and Issa he gestured at the others. Adam is trying to sleep. “Please make yourself at home. Issa will you help show Leah the ropes me and Roland have some business to take care of.” Said Kiser winking at Adam When Adam capitulated they vanished up the stairs leaving the girls to their own devices.
The first few moments in that room were asked Leah tried to navigate the knots that were forming in her stomach only to be buffed by the scent of strawberries. Every time she tied to search her maze for answers she kept coming to dead ends and conversations that went nowhere and these often hurt more than straight-up rejections. So in the end the most she could muster up was a single “Hi”.
“Look I’m working right now so I only really have time for simple yes-no questions. So if your answer is yes I’ll nod my head and if it’s a no I’ll shake it you got that.”
Leah nodded her head in response. “Good,” said Issa immediately getting back to writing. Leah was relieved that Issa spoke more than two lines to her yet on the other hand she kinda wished it was a flat out rejection as at least then she didn’t have to continue playing these games with herself.
Sighting she fell back on the chair and into her book and that was where she remained for the whole day which annoyed her as the book she was reading was virtually incomprehensible to her. Yet in her boredom and against all logic she found things to admire in Issa for one she admired her dedication to her work. Leah never saw someone so dedicated to it that they would skip meals. That slowly became another wall that stopped her from asking more questions she got the idea that the girl didn’t want to be disturbed and every time Leah walked past the girl she got the feeling that touching this girl would be like touching a sleeping dragon and she didn’t want to be caught in the flames.
After three more hours of this Leah gave up and found a cigarette and even though she hated it. She started to smoke she only choked on it three times before she got to the end of the cigarette but at the end of it, she felt oddly calm for the first time in a long time her thoughts were allowed to drift and to fully comprehend that everyone she knew died. It was one of those things where it would have been easier to forget had they died a natural death but no they were murdered and for what she couldn’t comprehend the horrors of Hitler’s desire for power.
Her head was burning with questions and depression but this was the only thing that she knew she was now stuck with a ghost in some castle surrounded by people she didn’t want it hit her hard and she fell against the wall in a weird attempt to cry. The only thing she wanted to do was to run she wanted to leave this place she found herself running down a lane.
She didn’t know where it would lead she just wanted to run and vanish and wake up in her own home to the smell of her mother who was always cloaked in the scent of freshly baked bread and the comfort of her bed. She wanted to imagine what she would be doing right now had Sigfried not taken her from her village had the Nazis not destroyed it but even that was starting to seem like a distant memory to her. One she wanted to inhabit and crawl back into. Her thoughts were brought to an end when she ran into something it was bi and sturdy it smelled like the leaves of an oak tree she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at it it was Sig.
“Watch out here you’ll hurt yourself if you’re not careful.”
“Where am I?” Leah asked.
“Well, you’re at my home the resting place of the guardian spirits.”
When she looked up she saw a bunch of graves each one addressed to one of these spirits the only es she could make out was Joan of Arc Cuchulainn and the Imp. With a freshly dug grave in the middle.
“Whos going in there?” Leah asked gesturing to the open grave.
“Well you found out sooner than I expected you would but I was digging this grave for you,” Sig replied.
“For me? I don’t think I’m dead yet?”
He was embarrassed at this one. “No I wasn’t digging or you, I… I thought I could help you have a funeral for your family on account of them you know. I’m sorry if this is awkward or anything.”
She was surprised at this she thought that she should forget about everyone and move on ar all she didn’t like anyone in her old town yet they still elonged to her after all. Yet with the wight of what she went to crashing down on her, she found herself crying. It was mostly for the people who were nice to her yet she was happy to see them honoured in some way.
“Do you need any help?” Leah asked Sigfried.
“No, but if you want to.” He held out a second spade.
She immediately took off her shirt and lept into the pit it wasn’t long before Leah was lost in the rhythmic thunk squelching of the dirt being moved she was surprised at how calming this was given how excruciating the work was but she was able to think about how she was going to approach Issa. She needed to just knuckle down and learn magic.
To do this, she had to think of spells she need to learn as she was digging the grave she was reminded of the time that she was locked into the cleaner’s closet for hours it as always like this in school she was the target for something maybe was the fact that she was bi or just hung out by herself a lot. Yet while she was in their s thought of how lock picking could come in handy.
When they were done with the grave Sig handed her some rosary beads there was a pile of them.
“I didn’t know how much you needed so I got all of these”
When he handed one to her and as held it the cross dampened it started to rain.
“God we commend these people to you raise them they may be seated at your right-hand Amen.”
They threw one in and as they did so Sig said “Ashes to ashes dust to dust” Thus ending Lea old life.
Three days passed and the tower residence went back to normal Leah found herself getting into a routine too she’d get up and read her book in the mornings and during the evenings she’d visit Sig who’d teacher how to fight in return for stories about his past. On the second day impressed with her progress especially in the circumstances, she was given Isa took pity on her and showed her a few ruins they were simple lock picking stuff. Lisa found that she enjoyed it she had a knack for this type of stuff even when she was in school.
Yet even then she found that when she was locked in the closed as much as she was you had to find a way out eventually. And magic wasn’t all that different from skill she thought she found that it magnified it. Combat was a different story however she just found the stances so confusing and kept getting tripped up on her footwork. Leah explained this to Sigfried one day who just told her to believe in herself & that she could do it.
Needless to say that night she had a frustrating bath she was annoyed at how all the people in the tower either hated her or were different to her. Hoverer sh just wanted to grin it out given how she had nowhere to go anymore. Even if her mind drifted towards the old smells of the shops and bakeries of her town. She remembered those long days when she’d get lost in the stalls just to take her mind off things. Her favourite day was when some of the townsfolk felt sorry for her and sent her home with armfuls of bread and cakes. While her mon disproved she was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth and they had a feast that night.
The third day was when things started to change she was reading her notes when Kiser emerged. “Well good news everyone.” Kiser was half-naked with Adam in toe “We got a new job”
“Horay” Issa cheered unenthusiastically.
“Yes it’s a good time to show Leah how we work,” said Kiser
Wait Leah thought we are only getting to this now its been three days and now we are getting it I’m unprepared she thought outside of some lockpicking skills she hardly knew any magic and her combat skills were practically non-existent.
“It’s just going to be another job the acolytes and the Order rejected again isn’t it,” Said Adam a bit dejected. If it is count me out.”
“Metoo babysitting is not my forte,” said Issa resuming her work.
“Well too bad” snapped Kiser “You are the one who is supposed to go with her besides I love doing these small jobs you never know when these favours are going to come in handy.”
“We never cash them in though.” graned Adam
“It’s nice to feel secure that’s why.” Kiser said.“You’d think someone lazy as you would understand that.”
“Look I just want to take up space and do little as possible,” replied Adam.
“Least he admits it.” Issa chortled in disgust.
“Well, at least I don’t have to babysit.”
Shot Issa thought she hated to concede to that twat but she knew when she lost.
“So what are we doing?” Lisa finally asked.
“It’s an exorcism.” Replied Kiser. “It’s an easy enough task to get you acclimated to the comings and goings of guild business. It was why we paired you off with Issa to start she has told you about your powers right?”
“She only thought me a simple lock pick spell even if I do struggle with combat but I think I’ll get it down.”
With that Kiser put his hand on her shoulder don’t worry you’ll get their no better teacher than the experience he said.” As he walked off leaving her alone with Issa.
Leah stared at Issa she was looking annoyed and had her arms folded looking annoyed but otherwise, she just sighed and said.
“Come one I’ll get you started. She said.
The journey took a few days it was a fine one both women didn’t recall having much trouble with it. Save for the carriage having to be repaired one every few miles. Both girls swapped old stories with each other Leah told Issa about her experience with school and the village while Issa on the other hand would tell her about her involvement in the Battle of Blythe Road & the end of the first chapter of the Order of the Golden Dawn.
The on;y information Leah got of Issa was her callous disregard for the order she only ever said that they were a bunch of white prats jerking off the garlic revival going on at the time. Leah also heard of Issa’s fling with Crowly who wound up dumping her after he found out that she wasn’t his type. Despite everything, these were not men who were willing to give up control of anything to anyone who looked like her.
Kiser was the only one who accepted her but Issa told Leah that she felt as if kiser would throw her to the winds.
Outside of the brief snippets of conversation here and there Leah just about and read or looked out the window watching the landscape change from craggy mountains to idyllic fields ending with tangled up forests the closer they cane to the manor.
Yet when they reached the manor it was stationed in an area that seemed to govern the landscape as well as its subjects as the trees seemed to end at a large green hill leafing to it. The sight was unnatural Leah thought. Yet she wasn’t afraid of the building at all instead she wanted to discover its secrets.
“So what do you think of the place? Asked Leah
“It’s quaint, said Issa. You’d never expect something that dominates the landscape in the way this house does to be quite bland really. Then again rich folk like showing off the fact that they are poor like us more than they are rich.” Issa sighed taking her bags out of the cab.
“I guest always whats on the inside that counts then,” Leah said
“Exactly “ replied Issa.
However, any blandness that the house radiated evaporated when the girls got a closer look at the building Leah even counted a total of18 windows after two laps of the thing. For something that seems so horrific it looks so ordinary Leah thought.
As she entered the house she could hear her footsteps echoing off the walls Leah could guess that this place was one of those buildings where everything was never out of place. It was the type of that people used everything had its purpose after all but no one inhabited it. No one was allowed to as it would lose all the power it had if someone was to call it home.
Everything was fragile the vases, the paintings all of it and it was the type of fragility that could only be achieved by someone so desperate for control as soon as they let their luggage down two maids emerged from the hallway and escorted them to their room.
It was a small little thing at the end of the mansion it was far from cosy however there was a sense of practicality to it like when you saw this room you had the idea that it was desined to not hold any guests for more than two days. Leah could f guessed this by looking at the swinging light bulb & the less said about the beds the better.
“So what do you think of this then?” Issa asked. “You ever get the sense that you are not wanted here?” Leah replied. “Yeah but I get that everywhere I go but since your feeling it something must be off. Since you feel it though it’s got to be different.” Issa said. Leaping up onto the top bunk.
Leah stared at Issa blankly trying to process what she said then replying. “It’s if the house is not only fighting to maintain its self it wants to impose its self and its rules on everything.”
“I get what you mean and I’m sorry if this is rude but can you search the house for a bit this house is taking a lot off me and I need some rest.”
“Sure” replied Lah “I’ll let you know if I do find anything.” “Yeah, you do that,” Leah said taking leave to explore the house.
Her first order of business was the library for some reason she was always attracted to libraries especially big ones and she felt that this house had a big one. She had always loved books since she was a kid so she’d often spend a lot of time in libraries they were often her cheet sheets in a way helping her map out people.
Yet that was the funny thing to her as much as she could know someone on a page she would often find that they tended to zig where she wuld of expected them to zag. Never really ending up where she would want them to be driving her to read even more. That was a part of what upset her when she first arrived at The Occult Society being around a book that she couldn’t read or understand but she found that she was getting the hang of reading patterns they were presenting.
Yet the library proved to be less fruitful in her search the only thing of note that turned up was Agrippas three Occult Philosophy books giving up she decide on contacting Sig. Sig found her with her head on a pile of books.
“Siiiig how do we do an exorcism?” she said exhausted.
“So you were hired to do an exorcism job you don’t know how to exorcis deamons what hell man.” Sig was annoyed Leah liked this about him he had an old-timey sense of honour that wasn’t overbearing
“Relax I know the basics it’s just I’m stuck since the only emotion I can sense is anger since it’s the strongest so I’m just having difficulty narrowing down some others.”
“That’s the problem.” Said Sig “Magic tends to work on experience the more emotions we feel the more things we can instinctively pick up on through empathy.”
“So I’m just stuck feeling anger then,” Leah complained.
“Not nescessarly anger sadness and happiness are emotions that are easy to feel loneliness depression and solation as well as the many forms of joy we feel not so much then I guess its why we create art.”
“So are you a ghost or what?” asked Leah
“If anything I like to think I’m a memory a collection of ens and ideals used to tell people how to live I think thas why you shamans can wield me. Not only that ut empathy also doesn’t come through art alone you still have to exist,” said Sig
“So I just have to locate the strong emotions in this house that’s anger”
“Right but you said it’s all over the house.”
“So you need to narrow your focus a bit.”
Leah closed her eyes it was difficult to remember anything then a sullen pit of this isn’t right that she spent the remaining days in. She needed something and the only things she could remember so far were the smells of baked goods sweet and sulfur wait sulfur. That was he never fully process those last days.
She tried to remember but they only came in snippets she remembered a lot of pushing and panicking she remembered a sense of oppression before though. She remembered going through her day and just fees pit in her stomach like the floor was going to fam under her.
Wait was this always or was it new Taking hunch she decided to this feeling she wanted to know that it was coming from. Leah left the library she followed the low throbbing she freaked herself out a few times looking for the ghost but nothing came ut the low throbbing. Dun du dun dun du dun. This noise managed to take her to the third door from the stairs.
Dung dun dung Dun dung the rhythm was getting more intense it was like Leah was being smothered by a blanket she couldn’t escape this one and that was how she knew she was here.
Leah d to open the door it was locked she knew that she needed the mechanism by which the door unlocks she centred herself and projected herself onto the lock she listend for the click and bingo it clicked open. Leah found this process awfully relaxing. Leah was also secure in knowing that she would find something in the room.
The rhythmic thumping now lulled its self till the only thing that was here was an oppressive noise that fogged Leah other cognitive abilities. Yet the strange thing Leah thought was that it was oddly dull and not a thing you’d notice unless you are looking out for it. It was as natural as the house and the garden and it wouldn’t be if you weren’t told it wasn’t. The garden, this room with its books neatly stacked everything in this place looked as if it was meant to control the people in here.
Or did the people in here create this force it was hard to tell looking for answers Leah searched the stacks of books around her. Everythig was so neatly organized the rooms showed no flaw of inhabitation everything was so neatly cut stacked and shelved it honestly made trying to find everything that much easier to find she knew any incriminating evidence would be in the desks drawer. The drawer didn’t have much saved for some dried up inkwells scrapped paper and a few envelopes with one of them addressed to Joesph Gobels recognizing the name Leah opened it.
The note read
Dear sir
I hope this sizable donation finds you in good health I hope this will go towards your election efforts I feel like my support will better help your election efforts and the perseverance of Dear Fuher all the best.
Von Braun
Leah could finaly breathe a sigh of relief now she found some sort of clue she knew that this families sense of preservation needed to be destroyed before it hurt others she also knew that she needed to get Issa to search the rest of the house as she knew that she couldn’t destroy it on her own.
Issa was sitting on her bed she was just lying back now her desired reading was done as she did so a wobbling light emerged it was an odd little thing that flew and bobbed as if it had a limp yet the thing was enjoying itself. This was Will Issa’s first spirit Issa loved seeing the thing since it often had a mind of its own she could never count on it appering when she wanted it to.
It was also early skittish as was demonstrated when Leah opened the door and the thing flew of frighted for its life.
“What is it. “ Issa sighed.
“What was…” Issa assumed Leah was pointing at the spirit that just flew into the pocket of iIssa’s jacket.
”Oh this it was the first spirit I summoned.”
Unsure of what to do Leah sat next to her it was an odd thing for Leah to deal with. No one ever confided in her before as she was a bit of an oddball in school and never had many friends but she got a warm feeling from this all the same.
“Why did you keep it?” Leah asked.
“Honestly I kept it because when I summoned it, it was the first time I ever accomplished anything,” Issa replied.
“ When I summoned Cu it felt like I won ya know after a lifetime of being told you’ll never amount to much or being constantly looked out you start to believe these things and then the smallest victories are monumental.”
“I get that or at least I think I do,” Leah said
“No, you do not,” Issa replied “You lucked into summoning a heroic spirit on the first try you think you know hardship because you were bullied but you don’t. Even if I do find your dedication to work commendable so with that respect I’m sorry for being a dick.” Issa said.
“Thanks, I guess” Leah replied “Oh I know this is a bad time and all but I got this,” Leah held out the letter that she found in Van Brauns office.
Issa looked at it her face dropped. “Leah my girl I think our priorities in this house have shifted greatly.” “We are going to bun this place I need you to take the downstairs and I’ll take the upstairs and we’ll meed outside.” Leah nodded in agreement.
The house is alive Issa thought that when she first entered the place a when she was in the house she couldn’t help but feel like she was a deer in a forest everyone in the house wanted her dead and she knew it. The only things that brought her comfort were her sword and gun. Sensing her distress Cu appeard beside her and silently nodded. “Thank you.” Issa replied even if she wished that he could speak to stave off her isolation a bit longer.
Her thoughts then drifted towards Leah as she tried to sense what was behind those doors she knew she liked her but at the same time Leah was off-putting in a way she could not describe she thought it was class at first but in the end, she could pinpoint it on her unique eccentricities no that they were bad she actually found them quite attractive.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she came to the last door and it was blocked she knew if she cast out and searched for the motions in the room shed find nothing but anger and hatred she understood anger to be good but hatred was one thing that paralysed her especially the banal one that followed these things. It was this and the oppression that just wafted around and rotted the place that made Issa want to destroy the house she only really stopped herself because that would bring suspicion on the occult society.
This was made even harder given the contents of the letter she ad from Leah she lashed at the door opening it when she did so she was greeted with a pile of diamonds she knew what they were and saw a red glow she knew what was in them he countless lives of her people and when she saw the lodger in the middle of the room she saw what they meant they were numbers that were nothing.
In her anger, she summoned Cu she wanted to destroy this place nothing should survive she drew her sword and slashed again and again until there was nothing but dust left in this room. When she was finished she thought of a spark that spark was needed to form the fire that she hurled into the next room.
She made her way down the corridor throwing fireballs thinking that the house needed to burn no it must burn and it shall burn. The only things that were in her path were the maids from before. They drew their swords and said in unison “We were ordered to take out all abominations.”
“The only abominations here are you,” Issa said grabbing Cu and turning him into a spear. When she did this the maids attacked. Issa sidestepped one of them deflecting the other ones blow. However she knew that the corridor severely impacted her movements and it wasn’t long before she was brought on the defensive. Deflecting the blows she received by the maids but gradually losing her footing.
She tried to soot one of them but her bullet was deflected she realised that she needed space to minover if she wanted to have any impact and survive these attacks sensing this Cu turned into a dagger Issa regained her footing and slashed at the maids it worked for a bit. When there was enough space between the three women she hurled a fireball at them it missed exploding in the corridor. This gave her ample time to bury the dagger in one of the maid’s chests killing her.
As the corridor was coming down around the two combatants Leah turned Cu into a spear for one last time and both women putting it all on the line lunged at each other. Each wantine one to die but the only one succeeding at that task was Issa she felt her spear slide into the maid’s chest.
Now caught between her rage and the house coming down around her Issa lept out of one of the widows into the snowy night she used a bubble spell to stop her from being hurt and as soon as she hit the ground she was spent. She had to wait for Leah to find her as a house came tumbling all the way down.
It is now morning and we see the house and despite the destruction that Issa wrought on it is fine we see a man in a sharp SS uniform observing the remains noting that the diamonds have vanished. Another man is on his knees beside the man and as he leans over to take he says “I’m sorry to say the Von Braun legacy is over.” He last we see of Von Braum is his head on the ground and his body keeling over.
sheamcc2 