Petrus Christus

Major Story Arcs

Devil’s Hammer

Petrus, a fervent Christian, is a citizen of the town of Oradour, which is one day suddenly massacred by a group of Grendels that it considered its protectors. The entire town is tortured to death horribly, and Christus swears revenge. He has always been a good Christian, but now he plans to use the power of the spirit of Grendel (which the Christians of that time consider to be the devil) to help him. He trains for three years, then tries to infiltrate the gang of Grendels that destroyed his town. However, they know who he is.

They start to push him further and further into the spirit of Gendel, attacking him one by one and forcing him to commit acts of violence. First he is attacked by the Lotus, who cuts off his ear. He kills Lotus, swears his soul to Grendel, and is healed. Then he comes upon the Grendel Bill, who tells him that the others have gone off to kill the abbot of the local monastery, a man whom Christus considers to be a friend and longtime advisor.

Petrus finds more of the Grendels: he kills Uncle Klunni and captures Kali. Then Bill shows up and kills Kali, saying that he can’t stand the fact that Grendel has picked Petrus as his champion instead of himself. Petrus kills him too, and then confronts their leader, Mahound. Mahound tells him that the abbot is the one who allowed the destruction of Oradour. He says that Grendel has chosen Christus to become its champion, and to kill the abbot, who is their mutual enemy. Petrus kills Mahound and confronts the abbot.

The abbot tries to exorcise the spirit of Grendel from Petrus, but Petrus becomes possessed (although probably by a Dire-Imp, and not Grendel itself, although the Imp does call itself Grendel). While possessed, his body changes and he becomes a giant mass of muscles with no skin. Using the powers of the Imp, he telekinetically twists and crushes the body of the abbot until he confesses. Returning to his normal body, Christus tortures the abbot for three more years before leaving him to die.

Christus finally sacrifices himself by letting a lion kill him, believing that humanity is evil.