A ceaseless barrage of gunfire echoed through the halls of this vast building.

Inside, some of the cultists had decided to take action against the killers themselves and had begun training in basic firearms use. Word had got out of the codenames used of the two secret agents and so, naturally, the targets on the wall at the back of the range were shaped to look like either a mongoose or a viper.

The results proved fantastic and many of those willing to learn were learning fast.

Unknown R A I N B O W in particular was having a fantastic time. She envisioned the animal targets morphing into her idea of what the actual agents looked like. They would pay for murdering her fellow members!

“Excuse me?” a voice from behind her inquired. “I can’t get this thing to shoot straight. You look like you know what you’re doing, could you show me please?”

“Of course!” she exclaimed, delighted at having someone to look up to her

She then spent the next hour showing in-depth the mechanics of firing the rifle. Her inquisitive student asked question upon question and she was only too happy to help.

They stayed long after the practice session had finished, with the curious student pressing ever more technical questions, eager to be the best shot in the cult.

Finally, she remarked that they really should leave and start another session tomorrow. The disappointed student accepted and bade her farewell.

However, when she turned her back, a gunshot was heard. Shot in the back, she died shortly afterwards.

“Ugh, next time I do something like this, I’m going to find someone who at least knows what they’re talking about,” the student said looking down at her in disgust. “It’s a magazine a pistol uses, not a clip.”

==================================================================

Tindil Alozze was on the roof of her dwelling, trying to sun himself. The fact that there was no sun down here did not discourage her one bit and he was determined to get a tan.

She had removed her robe and now lay in a bathing costume and sunglasses. The cold, damp air of the cavern pricked at his skin, but she endured on.

After lying there for about an hour, Tin started to fall asleep. He was awoken abruptly by someone shouting.

“Tin! What the hell are you doing up there?” the voice called.

“What does it look like?” she answered.

The owner of the voice, seemingly without an answer, left without another word, shaking their head.

Another hour passed. Tin had finally managed to get to sleep. He dreamt of such beautiful things, such as trees and happy people, all being destroyed indiscriminately by the glorious Dark Ones.

She was again woken abruptly, this time by a rock hitting him on the arm.

She jumped up angrily.

“Who threw that?” he inquired.

Another rock came from nowhere and struck Tin on the leg, hard. She lost her balance and fell from her dwelling roof. Underneath, a bed of nails had been placed by someone.

“Who put that there?” was the second to last thing that went through his mind.

Of course, one of the nails was the last thing.

==================================================================

It was the final curtain call for Bellecat. The grim-faced cultists bound and dragged her from her dwelling toward the sacrifice room.

She was placed on the pedestal and the elder stood above her, knife at the ready. However, she did not flinch, did not close her eyes and did not even offer a final word.

The knife plunged downward into her chest. However, rather unexpectedly, the knife shattered on impact.

“Now that we have that out of the way, could you please untie me?” Belle asked, one eyebrow raised.

“So a Spirit Watcher is looking over you, child. How very unfortunate for us,” the elder said, looking at the knife. “However, you have destroyed a very important part of our attempts to reawaken the Dark Ones and for this, you must be punished.”

Three hooded cultists behind the elder began to chant in an ancient language.

“What? You can’t be serious,” Belle said, alarmed. “No, don’t! It’s me, not-“

A miniature portal to another dimension tore open above the pedestal as Belle was speaking. A long, thin tendril shot out from the portal and skewered her through the midriff. It lifted her into the air and let the blood drip from her body.

Slowly, her form morphed into that of the thin, rat-like psychic who had first warned of the agents.

The tendril dislodged itself and vanished into the portal, which closed shortly afterwards. The psychic’s body hit the pedestal with a meaty thud.

Clenching his fists, the elder snarled angrily.

“Someone is going to pay for tricking me into making this mistake.”

==================================================================

Meanwhile, in the sacrificial afterlife...

Hattie was thoroughly bored. He had spent the last 24 hours floating around this place with nobody to talk to or anything.

We had wondered why there were none of the other sacrifices floating around, from before the cult had started sacrificing its own members. He came to the conclusion that, since they were innocent people, they probably went to some other place or something.

All of a sudden, a flash of light and a subtle “pop” noise appeared near him.

Buzzkid24 appeared, looking as mad as hell itself.

“Really, you’re going to-“ he began.

Buzz looked around for a moment. After seeing Hattie, he spoke.

“Oh, so does this mean I’m dead then?” he asked Hattie.

“Yeah, it does. I’m so glad I finally have someone to talk to!” Hattie said, happily as they both began floating in the same direction.

“...I am going to KILL them when I get back! How dare they KILL me?! I mean, what am I to them? Do I look like something to KILL? No, I don’t!” Buzz ranted.

Hattie sighed and nudged Buzz slightly. Buzz began to float off in another direction, fully consumed by his rant.

==================================================================

Unknown R A I N B O W misplaced her trust!

Tindil Alozze should have went to the surface for a tan!

Bellecat, your final psychic, was sacrificed! Whoops!

==================================================================

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Agents! PM me your targets!

Spirit Watchers! PM me your saves!