"You were too kind-hearted with that elven slave," Ravana complained, continuing his rant for the last few minutes.

Serena remained silent throughout most of this conversation, too busy tracking blood to pay attention to his complaints about how she handled it. When she heard him mention the word 'slave,' she paused briefly but kept walking along without responding. He spoke again when he noticed her lack of response.

"Didn't you have slaves in your world?"

"Of course we did," Serena replied, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "But I always treated my thralls and servants with respect. I would raise them or their descendants and teach them."

He laughed quietly to himself. "And so you did. But that doesn't mean all others do the same."

"So you say. And yet, even if slavery exists in other places, surely those people aren't monsters. They must know better."

"They don't. That is why I'm glad you're different, child. You'll never understand the true horrors of the world unless you experience them firsthand. Perhaps one day you can find someone else willing to share such experiences with you."

Serena looked around curiously; they were now approaching the center of the city where there appeared to be fewer buildings surrounding a massive stone circle. At first glance, it reminded her of the stone circle around that blasted tree. However, upon closer inspection, she realized something strange about the stones: they weren't aligned properly. Instead, each one leaned away from the next by a small amount. Many of them tilted sharply.

When she reached the outermost edges of the stone circle, Serena found herself staring up at a tall statue of a man. It was situated in the middle of the stone circle and yet it towered over everything. His features were difficult to make out because the entire figure was covered in black marble, but it gave off a sense of strength and power.

The skull of a huge wolf covered his face, feathers seemed to decorate his long flowing hair, and the lower half of his body was furred like a creature. He was nude and the artist was very enthused in providing him with masculine assets that befit his stature.

A dark blush grew as she found herself transfixed at the endowment of the male statue. She cast her eyes downward and away when Ravana started to laugh mockingly.

"Oh dear, what a sight!" Ravana exclaimed. "I wonder if he knows how beautiful he is. A perfect specimen indeed! Oh, look, there's his erection."

Serena glared, helpless to do or say anything in the chance she would be detected by the villagers.

"It seems he does, yes. How disappointing for you."

Serena ignored the sarcasm and glanced around, remaining in the shadows of the towering stone as much as she was able to. The villagers were converging on this spot, making it hard for her to hide the longer she remained there.

Some of the bestial creatures brought forth the two guards and Lucian, bringing them to an altar that was underneath the giant statue. As soon as the group had arrived, several more came running toward them carrying baskets full of sickly fruits and vegetables. There was also some bread and cheese. Her backpack was left there as well. These offerings were placed before the three sacrifices while everyone watched closely.

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One villager stood apart from the rest, though. This individual wore a white robe that hung loosely down to their feet. Their head was bare and they didn't appear to wear any jewelry besides a necklace made of twisted vines. Unlike the others, however, this woman wasn't watching the proceedings intently, instead, she stared blankly ahead. Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest.

As soon as the food was set down, the leader of the village stepped forward and spoke loudly enough for everyone present to hear clearly. "Welcome, kindred. We have heard your pleas for aid and we shall grant it gladly. You must all swear to protect our lands until death parts us, so help me Balar. Swear to keep the peace among yourselves and with other tribes, lest Balar turns his back upon you," he said firmly.

Everyone else nodded their heads vigorously.

"We have sought aid from the God of the Wilderness, but Balar does not give his blessings easily. We must sacrifice the weak to ensure the strength of the strong." He paused dramatically, allowing the words to sink in. Everyone fell silent after hearing the statement. It was true, most knew about the sacrifices that had been made to gain access to the gods' favor.

Serena watched the display silently, her mind churning as she tried to think of something to say and do to stop this.

"Balar has changed some of our kin, allowing us to hunt more easily even as our fields falter. He has instructed us to devour the sacrifices made in his name. So I ask again; why should we deny him?" The speaker continued.

This time the people did nothing except murmur amongst themselves.

A few minutes passed when no one moved. Then the women began chanting softly, which seemed to calm the crowd somewhat. When they finished, the leader raised his hands once more. "Very well, let us begin."

He motioned at the nearest beastfolk who cut apart the clothing of the slumbering man in his arms. The wolfman placed the sleeping beauty on the altar, followed by his companions and then finally the leader himself.

A fire was started nearby in a pit, and several beasts carried a huge black cauldron and buckets of water

After everything was ready, the leader walked away. Once out of sight, the villagers began to chant louder than ever. They repeated the same words over and over:

"Balar! Balar!"

Their voices rose high into the air like a chorus, and the sound echoed through the village.

The white-robed woman approached the sacrifice, who was completely oblivious to what was happening around them. She smiled sweetly and whispered to him before placing a hand gently on his forehead. In her other hand, she carried a wicked blade.

She slit the man's throat without hesitation and when he dropped lifeless onto the stone floor, the woman turned toward the audience and bowed deeply.

Once again, the crowd erupted with cheers, while the men danced and sang songs praising the god of the wilderness.

The priestess turned back to the dead man and began to butcher him like one would an animal. His skin and flesh were taken off until only bones remained. She allowed some of the villagers to attend to the cauldron that was soon mixed with man flesh and wilted vegetables into a morbid stew.

When everyone thought it was over, the priestesses gathered the remains that we're unable to be consumed and scattered them across the field. After sprinkling each piece with holy water, the first sacrifice was complete.

The second one was largely the same, and Serena was only glad that they were asleep and didn't seem to sense their fate. Her stomach roiled just watching the slaughter, and she could feel bile rising in her throat.

She nearly charged when Lucian's turn was up. However, she didn't need to lash out as he did that enough.

Any facade he had to seemingly be asleep vanished when his clothing was cut into. His eyes opened wide when the bloodied knife came down upon him.

His mouth worked for a moment before he managed to speak. "No… No…" He cried.

That single word sent shivers running through the crowd. People murmured to one another, unsure how to react. A few laughed nervously. Others looked shocked. Still, others stood there frozen in fear.

"Don't touch me!" Lucian screamed as his clothing was cut away.

However, most of the onlookers couldn't help but watch as the young man struggled against the blades. It took three women to hold him still. As the last bit of fabric fell from his chest, he reached up to grab at his face.

Then the screams began.