Stella ran her hand across her face in a fruitless attempt to banish the exhaustion that had crept into her very bone. she stood upon the uneven broken remains of what remained of the town square fountain. The fountain was now acting as the focal point of the blood-soaked ritual that was about to take place. Stella clutched her fist wincing as she attempted to stem the flow of blood from the cut on her hand. She looked around herself at the faces of the women that now surrounded. her almost hoping to find the contempt or disgust that she felt for herself mirrored back at her. The light of the stars that shown down dimly upon them making it near impossible to read their expressions.
She knew that one of them had to stand at the center of the circle, but why did it have to be her. They all claimed that she was still young and had a future. At this moment however as she looked at the burned building around her and the still lingering scent of burnt flesh wafted through the air, she didn't feel like she had much of a future.
Stella wrapped her arms tight around herself in a vain attempt to stave of the chill night air. Swallowing hard, the hair on the back of her neck rising as she watched the women around her finish drawing the outer ring in their very own blood, sporting a similar cut to her own on their hands. She tried the blink back tears as the memory of the past couple of days threatened to drag her once again into the depths of despair.
She took a deep breath to steady herself. Her features hardening with resolve and with that She began to chant. The words of an ancient and alien tongue clawed their way up her throat and out her mouth. Now that she had started there was no turning back, her eyes widened as she felt control of her own body slipping away from her, the movements it made were no longer her own. Her hands began drawing intricate symbol in the air her fingers leaving behind blazing trails of otherworldly fire.
Like a choir of the dammed the women around her began to chant as well, their voices carrying a deep resonance ebbed and flowed mingling together. Transitioning from harmony to dissonance and back their words carried through the night by a boisterous wind that had sprung up. Stella looking on a prisoner in her own body she felt equal parts horrified and enchanted by the events transpiring before her.
As the chanting continued the women positioned on the outer ring of the circle raised makeshift knifes into the air ranging from meat cleavers and broken glass to sharp stones. Bile rose in the back at of Stella's throat as she watched knowing what was about to happen next, wishing that she could run from all of it she closed her eyes blessedly the one part of her body that still obeyed. The chanting continued transforming into something that no human would be capable of producing, as it reached a crescendo, they brought the makeshift knifes to their throats and dragged them across the exposed skin leaving gaping jagged wounds exposed the cold night air.
Tears ran freely down Stella face as her already fragile heart broke. Unseen by her the expression on the faces of the women was not one of pain, fear or loss but an expression full of determination. Some even wore slight smiles brought on by the hope that their death might have some small meaning.
They would no longer cower in fear behind the fort walls, no with this they hoped those that had brought such despair upon them would soon taste of it themselves. Their eyes clouded over as their life's blood drained from them. Even in death the women still raised their voices in unholy chant. Slowly the blood from their slit throats rose into the air and began floating and coalescing in the empty space in front of Stella.
Stella was near catatonic at this point and was those oblivious to what happened next, As the final drops of blood reached the congealed sphere in front of her a pool of darkness blossomed below it. Shadowy tendrils rose from the depths and wrapped around the crimson sphere. The tendrils layered themselves thickly over the pulsating orb, and began pulling it down until completely vanished beneath the pools inky surface.
from its depths something broke the still surface of the onyx pool substance reacting as if it were glass rather than some form of liquid, in the wake of the creature's ascension from the depths there was silence. The boisterous wind and chanting had ceased the women's bodies crumpling to the ground. The world seemed to hold its breath as the shadow entity fully surfaced and began to take on shape the dark substance covering its body slithering form. Although difficult to make out details the creatures basic shape was discernible, The beast for that was truly seemed to be stood on four thick and powerful legs its head was a bit more difficult to discern due to what appeared to be lush mane making its features even more difficult to distinguish in the dim light of the stars. The only other feature that could be made out was perhaps the most eye catching for the beast appeared to have strange silver tattoos covering its body. About half of its body was now free of the strange black substance when to act erratically.
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The beast let out a soul rending roar causing Stella to jump in fright her eyes popping open. The beast slammed the left side of its head into the ground and tossing its head from side to side throwing up great showers of earth. The creature appeared to be in pain based on the sounds it was making and the way it seemed intend on bashing its own skull open. This went on for several minutes as Stella stood stock still to freighted to move as dirt rain down on her.
Somethings wrong Stella thought it's supposed to devour the corpses of those that had sacrificed their lives to bring it forth and then proceed go on a rampage seeking out and trampling under foot all that lived. There was nothing stopping it from simple crushing her under foot which was often the risk a summoner took when summoning one of the old ones or one of their children, the later being the case here. Stella's instincts told her to run and hide but she knew that would be pointless either it would allow her to live or it would kill her there was no escape.
Finally, the creature seemed to settle down as it stopped thrashing its head turning to face her its golden eyes focusing in on her. The beast prowled to towards her with super natural grace. As it approached her its head quickly snapped to the side it was then that Stella heard the shouts of men approaching. Judging by how close they sounded Stella suspected that they would be entering the town square in a matter of moments. Stella waited with bated breath watching the beast as it stood motionless content to wait.
They didn't have to wait long as out of the corner of her eye Stella could see torch light. Stella knew that by the time the torch light would illuminate enough of the town square to give these men any warning it would be to late, but she had no desire to warn these men after all they were the very reason for this ritual. For the first time tonight Stella was glad she was the one still alive because it meant she would get to hear the screams of the men before they died.
Stella turned her head towards the men as they drew near. She could make six men by the light of their torches, each of them was dressed in the standard issue burnished orange military uniform of the Pentagas army. Stella's lips curled up into a sneer as she watched them approach. The men's voices had changed to shouts of alarm as they came across their first body and could make out part of the summoning circle. The men spread out with their swords draw scanning the area on high alert for any movement.
They didn't make it very far before the light of their torches fell about the beast which then launched into action closing the distance between it and the man closest to it in the blink of an eye. It then brought it's right fore-limb down upon the man with a sickening crunch the torch he was carrying clattered to the ground but didn't go out. The beast charged forward trampling a soldier and catching another two in its charge slamming them through a building wall and causing the building to collapsed on to itself and the two soldiers. The two remaining men dropped their torches and ran screaming into the night.
Stella watched all this feeling disconnected from it all like her body and mind were no longer connected. She glanced at the body of the first soldier to die a crimson pool forming beneath him. Stella looked back to the collapsed house feeling numb as the beast extracted itself from the debris. The creature was acting strange making retching sounds as it stumbled around a little. Stella was in shock and just stood there dumbly. The beast continued retching for a couple more seconds once it had recovered it turned its attention to her. It approached her in seconds although it had been on the far side of the square. "I guess this is it." Stella thought closing her eyes too overwhelmed and emotional exhausted to feel anything. It was to her surprise that instead of being crushed under foot that she was lifted into the air. Her eye popped open as she was held aloft by what appeared to be a tail she hadn't noticed.
The beast moved deeper into the town away from the direction the solder had come. In a few short moments they were a good distance from the town square. The creatures body shrank down to about the size of a large dog as it entered a random building. It was it was pitch black inside and Stella was unable to make out anything as they entered. She felt herself being set down at the far end of the building. She didn't have much time to adjust to her surroundings when she heard a voice in the darkness." What did you do to me human?" The voice seethed with rage.