Corruption [(Draft Stages) Collab with GraydonL]

Thud… Thud… Thud thud thud…  “Silence,” You sigh. “Too much time has been spent with the last one. She didn’t die quick enough.” You nod to the acolyte and whisper urgently, “Another one. And quickly!” You stand, looking at the open vat full of organs and blood, and put it over the fire. “Asmodeus shall be pleased with the offering.” The look of horror on the last sacrifice’s face finally reached your senses. Are we doing the right thing? You can’t begin to comprehend how much those words ring with a touch of irony. You’ve studied the cult a long time, alongside the greatest masters of the Dark Arts and Summoners. You’ve read of Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and the other major demons. Asmodeus has had your attention for a long time, but upon researching Asmodeus further, you’ve stumbled upon Ecuinach. “Ecuinach De Un Asmodeus,” you mumble to yourself. The Liar of Asmodeus. You let the words trail in your mind, stomaching the revulsion found in the screams of the new victim straggling in. You see a tall blonde woman, about two fists shorter than you, and small green eyes darting about in anxiety and hatred. You look upon the woman’s right arm and see that she is branded… You feel the old man’s determined patience as he orders you inside. He looks you over carefully, and stops, looking at your right arm, to the brand. “Yes, I’m an outlaw, what of it? Are you here to ‘exact justice’ upon me?” You squeak out in a tiny voice. He chuckles maliciously, yet lightly, knowing that his fragile could not sustain a rumbling laugh from the stomach, as could the portly innkeeper. The laugh would probably kill him. Good, let me kill him with laughter. You giggle at the thought of the old man lying on the ground, laughing helplessly, so vulnerable to a knife. Slip it in, quickly through the lungs. Let him laugh about that! “Please… ‘Father’, you don’t want a poor helpless child like me.” You make your voice soft and a higher pitch. “Oh please, spare the insults and formalities. We know each other…. My young angel. Or would you rather me call you by your real name, Lillia?” As he says your name, he chokes it out and twists the sounds to make it an insult to you. “Oh, yes please, Malchor, you obviously know that the king will send for me,” You say lightly, hoping he didn’t notice the brand, and yet fully knowing that he knows what it meant. Dammit! That’s why he was studying it! “Skip the threats, my dear, we know that the king wishes you dead, and even has a price for your head.” “Ah, but have ye known that I’m not the one being hunted?” “Oh? Who could he possibly be hunting for? Oh, yes, possibly one of my app-” “We’ve been looking for you, you old codger.” All heads swivel to the open door, and the seemingly endless stream of guards behind the captain. “Ah Gerard, seems nice of you to join us. Prompt to the festivities and feast,” He glances at your slightly rotund stomach and goes back to look to Gerard. “... As always.” Gerard sighs and points at Malchor, “Seize him, and unlock Lillia, if you may.” One of the guards take the keys from the acolyte herding you into the room, and unlock your chains, setting you free. As soon as the clasps fall off, you begin shaking your arms vigorously, trying to return feeling to them. “Could’ve at least bound the behind my back with a rope, not shackles. Much comfier,” You growl at Malchor. Malchor looks into Gerard’s eyes and nods ever so slightly, but you catch the motion. “It is time. She is ready,” he mumbles quietly to the oblivious captain. The Captain nods and looks directly at you, and barely speak the words, snarling them so that they are partially indecipherable, taking a moment to call the meaning, “Stand in the circle.” You look at Gerard in shock, and notice that he looks directly into your eyes, scaring you even further beyond belief. “Gerard, you aren’t serious, are you?” You whisper in disbelief. “You mean to sacrifice me?” Gerard shakes his head, “No, we do not want to sacrifice you, we want you to be moved somewhere safe, for what is to come.” You turn on Malchor and point a finger at him, leaving Gerard behind you, “You! You did this! You’re using him for your sick and twisted wa-” You are cut off abruptly, as you feel a slicing pain in your stomach. You look down and notice you are standing in the circle, but can’t focus, as all you feel is the pulsing pain of an open wound in your abdomen. Before you can speak, you lose feeling in your mouth, and can no longer smell the sulfurous pollution of the cavern cell. You fall to your knees, gasping for breath, and immediately regretting it, as the pain intensifies. You fall. You are rolled over, and your head is propped on the knees of an acolyte, to look directly at… a figure… holding.. something. You can’t make out the clear shape, until water is rinsed in your eyes. The world clears, and you feel the grinding agony of your cut. You see a man, cleaning a sword, free of blood. My blood, You assume quickly. The agony cuts deeper and you can no longer hear and words around you. You look at the figure, polishing the blade… …Only to see your husband, Gerard, has murdered you with his own blade. You cry out in agony, once, not at the pain, but at the betrayal. You cry out, and let your world fade into the blackened void of death. The shackled entity, locked away for eons, lets out a sigh at his sudden restraints, and growls, “I do enjoy your Bondage & Submission treatments very much, but I’d assure you, I’d be the dominant one here,” shooting a lewd wink to his captor. The masked entity looks directly at the chained one and sighs, “I do so enjoy your constant taunting.” You shake yourself vigorously as you look at the corpse of Lillia. Was that… God?! My lord, he hears my thoughts. I shall be wary. You look around at the silent Gerard and turned a wrinkled, gnarled, scarred hand to gesture to the corpse, “Did you enjoy the retribution? The sleepless nights when she left your bed to comfort another man?” You silently hope he does not question you on this, and you turn about, to hide your discomfort. Hopefully, he may never learn the truth. He looks you directly in the eye, and speaks quietly, “Is it ready?” You nod lightly and mutter, “Yes, the last rite is ready.” He nods and stands in the circle, and calls out, “Ecuinach! I am your vessel! Use my strength and life as a vessel for your holy embodiment!” You feel the air surround Gerard tense and close in around him, as he falls to his knees, rumbling his voice deep in his throat. “I.. Stand, undignified acolytes! You are in the presence of God himself!” The others look around worriedly and fall to their knees, praising the embodiment of Ecuinach. Deep from his throat, a voice spoke, through Gerard, “I… I am free! You mortals, have freed me! But… how?” You speak up from the sheer awe and terror inspired by such a voice, “A better question would be, who would be foolish enough to contain God?” “Indeed, you make a good point. For my freedom, you shall now be granted power, over the world itself, you will spread the word of me and my teachings. Go now! You will be the crusaders, the dawn of a new age, the ones of the Endless One’s teachings. You leave, but with my blessings.” You bow respectfully to your god and leave him in the chamber. The dark ashen skin of the demon on his throne of gnarled mushrooms and skulls seemed to bulge while remembering the past events. “All is well, father.” He rumbled to the demon in front of him, Asmodeus, the King of Demons. Asmodeus turns to the demons and takes in his son’s gnarled visage and scars, “Very good, child, things are better than I could have expected. You lead them, and continue to, throughout the ages to come, understand?” “Yes Father, I will continue to collect them, and use them against each other. I shall progress the Empire, further than we will need, just for the time being, so we can recollect and scout out and enemies.” The smaller demon rumbles in satisfaction. “You show very much potential, do not fail me,” is all he said, and disappeared in a whirl of flame. The smaller demon looked into the misty orb and looks to the advanced civilization where his original cult had started, over 500 years ago, in a dark cavern cell. Ecuinach, hear our call. “Time moves forward for all who pay no attention.” Ecuinach said as he vanished in a puff of smoke, into the world he set out to conquer. Ecuinach, see us, heed our call. Come to us, the Liar of Asmodeus.