Mission # 1 - The Night Hunt

Hi! Just a quick note before the main entry. Here's a look at the figs used for this post. I still haven't thought of names for them but I'll try to figure something out soon. 

Agents of the Black Cross

The Lady In The Tomb

As you may have guessed, this is going to be a series here in the blog. Hope I can come up with more material soon. Thanks for reading!

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"The men and I were dispatched on a mission to hunt down a foul being terrorizing a small town outside the city. The Director wanted us to eliminate this creature that's said to be the cause of disappearing children. We talked to some of the townspeople and they reported seeing apparitions of a strange looking woman wearing an old-fashioned red dress during the wee hours of the night. Ever since these sightings began, several folks have disappeared, yet to be seen again. No one bothered to go after her fearing they would also go missing. Luckily, one of the younger and braver folks followed her and saw her head to this graveyard. Now, we find ourselves standing in front of a lone mausoleum in the middle of this vast land of the dead hoping to find what we were looking for."

"As I stood before the doors of this condemned tomb, I firmly clutched both my sidearm and crow bar. I once again reminded my men that whatever lurks beyond these doors is out to kill us. I have two rookies on my team, both young and promising. I wouldn't want their blood on my hands tonight. The other member of our group is a cold-hearted bastard whom you would definitely want to have in situations like this. He looked at me with assurance as he loaded a bullet in his rifle."

"As I pried the doors open, the stench of rotten flesh and stale blood filled the cold air. Something was wrong. I felt it. I really hope I missed my guess. To our surprise, the main hall was empty. I quietly instructed my men to slowly move inside."

"We silently stood inside the mausoleum waiting for our prey to attack but to no avail. At this point, we have grown accustomed to the vile odor and started looking around for clues that would point to the whereabouts of our hostess. I noticed a small grave at the end of the hall. It belonged to a child. I remember the villagers telling us that this crypt belonged to a wealthy family who lost their only child during infancy. The father had this built to honor his dead son feeling it was more than enough to move on with his life. The mother, on the other hand, was unable to cope with her loss. She lost her mind and ran away never to be heard of again. Tragic story. I was lost in my thoughts when my second-in-command got my attention and pointed his rifle towards a door that seems to be an exit. I asked him to check it out." 

"As he slowly opened the door, a strong force pushed him on the ground and an unearthly cry shrilled through the night air. Shots were fired and I immediately rushed outside to come to his aid."

"I stepped outside and I saw her: the woman in the red dress. Her long grey hair covered most of her face and her pale white skin. Her red eyes glared as she hissed and screamed at us. She defied gravity as she stood on the wall. Without any hesitation, I pointed my gun and shot her between the eyes" 

"Hurt but unfazed, the evil wench crawled towards the roof. We shot at her but she managed to get away. The rookies finally regrouped with us and I ordered them to go after her."

"The two boys quickly climbed up the wall to go up on the roof. Our orders were to slay this creature. I'm more than confident they're up for the task. 

"Night ended. We completed the mission and nobody died. After burning the monster's decapitated body, we started looking around its lair filled with the corpses of murdered people mostly infants. We discovered a ghastly truth. The creature we slayed was not purely evil. The woman we killed was the mother and murderer of the infant laid in the tomb. Written on a worn-out journal were the last thoughts of a grieving mother who bargained her soul to a man wearing a top hat who cursed her into an eternity of killing infants after being granted the wish of curing her infertility to have her own child. She wrote how she fought the curse as it gradually took control of her consciousness and humanity. Ultimately, she failed and ended up as a mindless demon with an insatiable hunger and thirst for human flesh and blood starting with her firstborn."

"I have served the Black Cross and have witnessed many situations where you can say good triumphs over evil. I still could not decide if this mission is one of them. I could only say for certain that we put the lady in the tomb to rest by lifting the curse that tormented her soul."

"Our job does not end here. I am certain that the man she mentioned is no mere mortal. We have had several accounts of similar encounters with a man with a top hat who has swindled innocent people into bargaining their souls to him and turning them into lesser beings. I'm certain that he is a powerful demon: an Overlord. I hope and I pray that I am wrong."