Path of Dragons

Elijah ducked down an adjacent hall, then turned another corner just in time to avoid being detected by one of the Watchers. He'd only learned their name recently when he'd overheard a conversation between two passing priests, but he had to admit that it fit the floating green eyeballs quite well.

Not for the first time, he considered that he should have chosen differently with the evolution of Shape of Venom. Perhaps then the Watchers would have been incapable of seeing through Guise of the Unseen.

Or maybe he just needed to evolve the ability itself. After all, it'd been a while since he'd gotten it, and though he rarely had an opportunity to test its efficacy, he'd had very few complaints about its performance until recently. So, maybe he should have simply given credit to the Watchers, rather than downplay his own abilities.

Either way, it was frustrating, having to go out of his way to avoid the creatures.

Doing so had delayed his climb to the top of the pyramid – called the Sanctum, according to the oddly gossipy, red-robed priests – by quite a while. Along the way, he'd felt the ethereal density continue to build as great quantities of energy flowed through the building's enchanted walls. If he didn't hurry, he'd miss the climax.

So, as soon as the coast was clear, he retraced his steps and continued on his way. Unfortunately, that strategy soon proved untenable because he found his way barred by a thick door that was absolutely covered with enchantments. Briefly, he considered trying to find another way around, but given the building ethera, Elijah knew he didn't have much more time.

With that in mind, he took a different tactic. Instead of trying to reach the top, which was where the energy was going, he would simply go outside and into the open. Perhaps he would climb the pyramid from the outside. Or maybe he would just watch from below. Whatever the case, he felt certain that he needed to witness whatever came from the building ethera.

Fortunately, the way out was clear. It seemed that the priests were either occupied with something else within the Sanctum or they too had retreated outside. Whatever the case, Elijah made good time on his way out, and soon enough, he found his way. That's when he saw the crowd.

Gathered in the wide plaza surrounding the pyramid were people. It looked like every single person in the city had turned out. Men, women, and children were everywhere, and they were absolutely elated. The atmosphere reminded him of a rock concert. Half the attendees were entirely naked, their bodies covered in those intricate tattoos that looked oddly chaotic – like the webbed pattern of broken glass – but still somehow organized.

The rest of the gathered people were clothed either in the skimpy attire the city's residents seemed to prefer or the red robes of priests. The air was electric, both with anticipation and building ethera, and the pyramid practically blazed with energy.

And then, a figure stepped up to the edge of the pyramid's flat top. He was clad in pure white, his robes made of a thousand strips of cloth that flowed in the subtle wind. Upon his head was an elaborate headdress that had been made of a black wolf's head. However, it featured a crown of curved horns and, even from so far away, Elijah could see that the eyes glittered like rubies.

There was a man under there, but Elijah could only see the bottom half of his face.

"Silence!" came an echoing shout as a pair of oni stepped up beside the man in the wolf helm. The crowd obeyed, and all noise ceased. Even the insects refused to chirp. The air crackled with eager expectation. "You all know why we are here. You understand the necessity of what we do."

He paused, and the crowd, as one, chanted, "Sacrifice the weak for the good of the many!"

"It is not through malice that we do this. Only need. Bring forth the first of the chosen."

Another oni appeared, leading a naked and dirty man forward by a chain around his neck. The man shouted something unintelligible.

"Eric Landon. You stand convicted of larceny and murder. You chose to enrich yourself to the detriment of the collective. Therefore, your life will be repurposed for the good of the many," intoned the leader. He didn't shout, but his voice came through loud and clear for everyone in the plaza. Indeed, Elijah would have been surprised if people on the outskirts of the city failed to hear him.

The oni shoved Eric Landon forward until he stood in front of the white-robed man. Suddenly, a sickle appeared in the leader's hand. It flashed, moving so quickly that if Elijah wasn't wearing his Sash of the Whirlwind, he might not have caught the motion.

The man's head fell free, hitting the ground, then tumbling down the steps. The crowd erupted into cheers as a wave of dense ethera swept out. When that wave passed over the gathered crowd, their tattoos glowed. Nearby, Elijah saw a few shiver in sheer ecstasy at the obvious influx of power.

But the ritual did not end there.

Eight more criminals were similarly beheaded. Three women and five more men. They were all accused – and seemingly convicted – of crimes, though Elijah questioned the legitimacy of any trial to which they might have been subjected. Especially given the clear benefits that came with each execution. It didn't take much creativity to imagine a scenario where they executed people on trumped up charges just so they could gain the benefits.

Stolen story; please report.

And there were benefits.

Each wave of ethera came with an influx of vitality that suffused every single person in the plaza. What's more, it didn't stop there. Not only did the ambient ethera and vitality skyrocket, but Elijah could infer that it would keep going for miles and miles all around. Perhaps it would encompass the entire territory.

"The offering is complete!" shouted the man, holding his bloody sickle aloft. It glimmered oddly with ethera, almost as if it wasn't entirely real. "However, the gods ever hunger. Today, we will give them the lives of nine blue devils! In return, the numbers of our mighty defenders shall be bolstered!"

At that point, an oni led a string of nine of the blue, alien-like creatures forward, lining them up on the top step. They pulsed with enough ethera that it completely drowned out any vitality within them. Another oni came forward with a barrel that he set in front of the first devil.

The contents were only a mystery for a few seconds, because the leader soon dipped his hand inside. When he retracted it, his entire arm was coated in red blood. The crowd cheered, many swaying in place as if they were drunk.

Or high.

With the density of the local ethera – and the vitality – Elijah couldn't rule out either scenario.

Whatever the case, the man approached the first devil, then proceeded to draw intricate runes all across the creature's naked body. It trembled at his touch, but it was obviously far too weak to resist or escape. Over everything stood the massive oni, radiating a level of power that would have cowed just about anyone in the city.

Elijah didn't fear them, though. He'd killed much tougher, and with relative ease. But if there was as many as he expected to find within the bowels of the Sanctum, the Seat of Benediction could likely rival Svetogorsk in terms of military might. Perhaps even exceed the Finnish city's power when the hunters and other fighters were added to the equation.

Certainly, Elijah hadn't set out to find a world power, but it seemed like that was precisely what he'd done. Even if the method of attaining said power was more than slightly disturbing.

Once the leader finished with the first devil, he moved on to the next, drawing identical runes upon its body. Over and over, he repeated the process until they were entirely covered in dense, blood-drawn enchantments. The second he completed the final symbol, the blood caught fire, and the devils finally showed some signs of life.

Their silent screams of agony, felt rather than heard, were terrible.

They were met with elated shouts from the crowd.

When the fires died out after only a few seconds, the runes had been burned into the devils' blue skin.

The wolf-helmed man strode confidently toward the first in line, then circled around to its rear. Then, without hesitation, he raised his sickle, declaring, "For the gods!"

The creature collapsed a moment later, its head falling down the steps while its body crumpled in place. Once again, the crowd cheered as ethera gathered. The second execution – or sacrifice – added to that dense power. The pyramid thrummed with so much energy that Elijah half expected it to explode.

One by one, ethera – and vitality – rushed out of the sacrificed devils and into the temple until the energy became practically visible. The air crackled as bands of energy leaped from one mote to the next. None of the others could see it.

Finally, the last of the devils fell.

"Kneel!" the leader shouted.

Every single man, woman, or child in the plaza obeyed the order, prostrating themselves before the pyramid. As their foreheads hit the paved ground, the energy in the air continued to build.

And then, the man yelled, "I call you forth, guardian of Alta Terra!"

The energy in the air coalesced into a single point deep within the pyramid. Then, it rushed to the very center of the top level, draining into what felt like a black hole. Finally, a portal not unlike the ones Elijah had seen in various Primal Realms opened up. It was only there for a brief moment before something huge stepped out. The portal closed a second later before the energy faded, leaving only an echo behind.

Another oni, this one larger and more menacing than any of the others, stepped toward the leader. At first, Elijah expected the thing to attack. It certainly looked as if it wanted to. Just when he thought the thing was going to heft its huge, spiked club, it knelt.

"I have come to serve, master. What is your bidding?"

"Protect and govern these people," the leader answered. "Do it well, and one day, you may return to your own plane."

"Yes, master."

The crowd erupted into another cheer as the oni descended the steps. They parted, allowing it to exit the square, presumably to patrol the city as it had been instructed.

After that, it seemed the show was over. The bodies were gathered and, Elijah guessed they would end up in someone's larder. Human and devil alike. He'd already witnessed the evidence of that practice, so he had no interest in seeing it once again. So, he decided to follow the leader instead.

He raced up the steps, thankful that there were no Watchers about, and soon enough, he reached the summit – and just in time to see his target descend another set of steps at the center of the level. Unfortunately, the grating of stone grinding against stone announced that a hidden door had begun to slide over the entrance. Elijah sprinted forward, arriving just in time to slip inside.

The steps leading downward were steep, so the leader hadn't left him too far behind. Elijah followed as it switched back a couple of times before terminating in what was obviously a living space.

However, it was far different than what Elijah might have expected, given the circumstances. Instead of something out of a horror movie, the décor more resembled a normal and slightly plain apartment. Bookshelves lined the walls, and Elijah even recognized some of the titles of the books on display. Mostly fiction – the sort that middle aged men read on airplanes – but there was a little romance there as well. There was a whole shelf dedicated to the works of Anne Rice, though.

The rest of the living quarters contained normal amenities like couches, a bed, and even a kitchen with modern appliances. They all emitted a good deal of ethera, suggesting that they were artificed. Maybe they'd even come from a technologically proficient city like Seattle.

The man let out a sigh as the door shut behind him, entirely unaware that Elijah had followed him into his home. His shoulders sagged as he removed his headdress, tossing it onto one of the couches before taking off his odd robe. Doing so revealed a pair of white linen pants, and a similarly colored long-sleeved shirt.

He grabbed a book and flopped down on the couch.

Only then did Elijah get a good look at the man's face. His jaw dropped as he let Shape of the Scourge fall away. It happened so quickly that the man probably didn't even see the form before it faded away.

Elijah wasn't concerned with that.

Instead, he blurted, "Benedict? What the hell are you doing here?"