| |
|---|---|
| Hatred's Bride | |
| Author(s) | Dave Land |
| Artist(s) | Francisco Ruiz Velasco (art) Oscar Carreno (colors) |
| Pages | 18 |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| Published | November 11, 2001 |
| Binding | Graphic novel |
Hatred's Bride is the third and final story in the Tales of Sanctuary anthology.
Summary[]
A Paladin of the Zakarum, Hale, is fighting a Blunderbore. The fight ends quickly with the monster split in two, but there is no rest for the warrior of Light as he hears a scream. He sees a burning house and a peasant, surrounded by goatmen, trying to protect his daughter, his wife already killed. The peasant is no match for the monsters and they turn towards his daughter. They don't have the chance to touch the young girl as Hale intervenes and kills them. The young girl, Bay, tells him that the goatmen never seemed to notice them before, as they hid, but this time they attacked. The story is not new to Hale as he has heard of random attacks on farmers before. Burying the parents, they set off towards a Zakarum cathedral to turn Bay over to them to raise her as the Priests of Zakarum did him. Bay tells Hale that her father wasn't a believer and that he and the priests had an argument and that he refused their protection.
Reaching the giant wooden castle-like cathedral, they are taken inside. The Paladin tells them that he is here for rest and to drop off Bay, to be raised at the cathedral. The girl is taken by one of the priests and Hale is shown to his room. His suspicions grow as he senses that something is amiss. They are confirmed as, in the middle of the night, he hears Bay scream his name. The door is locked, but that is only a slight delay as he bashes through it. Following the cries for help he reaches the cathedral's crypt. Undead attack him, but he dispatches them swiftly. Hale reaches the place where the priests have prepared to sacrifice the girl to Mephisto. The Paladin battles through the Zakarumites, his beliefs shattered by his discovery. As he is swarmed by the rest of the priests, the curate escapes through a portal with Bay. Killing all the followers of Zakarum, Hale questions the meaning of his life. Was it spent in lie, in the service of evil, of Mephisto? No. His purpose is still clear, he will fight evil and fight to find out the truth. The cathedral "is a place of evil -- and for that it must burn" and "if the Zakarum faith is truly a work of evil... then it shall burn as well."