Land of Ashes: Chapter 5
Imported from SF2 with no description.
For Ashereth's, Krivkris's, and Rakiri's new cell, it is virtually similar to their previous prison. The only differences are the skeletal remains chained to the wall, and the door is more solid metal. It and the rest of the dungeon has a lingering, musty odor, and the occupants hear the sound of the patrol guard's feet contacting the ground, sometimes near the chamber to outside directly. The drug's residual effects still allow Ashereth, Krivkris, and Rakiri to comprehend the security's unknown language when one dyad is having a conversation while walking closer to them.
“It is fortunate for us to discover the outsiders near Sanctuary Day," they heard one of the guards outside their cell.
“Indeed," another guard replied. “Kepæt Ásaven will be delighted with our offering that maybe she'll protect us longer than one cycle. The human has one barely in development while the Ki'Tsun has a couple in her. We even have extras for slavery until we eventually sacrifice them instead of our own."
“Five sacrifices in two bodies? If I was her, I would allow us to skip one Sanctuary Day, most likely two, after tonight."
The drug wears away enough for Ashereth, Krivkris, and Rakiri to lose the ability to understand them, but they refuse to listen anyway if they can comprehend. Enraged, Ashereth and Rakiri slam their bodies against the door, shouting at the guards before they repel them.
“Peldï," ordered one of the guards.
“Save your strength," Krivkris ordered calmly to Ashereth and Rakiri.
“How can I when I just found out I'm expecting twins?" protested Rakiri.
“Charging without a plan will only cause nothing but trouble. We don't know what they're truly capable of, and it wouldn't surprise me if the entire city descends upon us if we attack. We need to be tactical."
“What about you know what?" asked Ashereth.
“No," Krivkris answered sternly. “Numerous forbidden knowledge exists in there and activating it, no matter how brief the duration, will only draw the Soulmonger and his forces to where we are."
“You expect us to do nothing while they immolate Lyera, Takasato, and the babies?" asked Rakiri, still upset at their predicament.
“For now, yes," Krivkris answered. “When the sacrifice occurs, we'll strike. Here's my plan."
A couple of hours pass by when the guards open the cell door and sedate Ashereth, Krivkris, and Rakiri before dragging them out. They end up in an incommodious cage together outside the palace steps after the guards parade them to the citizens.
The residents are in their festive attire and wear stone masks of monsters over their entire face. Primitive decorations decorate the circular area and the torches around the perimeter and braziers on the steps ignite in purple flames. On a table is the odor's source from inside the castle earlier, and it horrifies Ashereth, Krivkris, and Rakiri. Among the selection of viands available from cockroaches, worms, and other bizarre foods are their four horses. Every part of them, from head to tail, even blood, is procurable, and the attendees mirthfully consume them.
Right next to the food table is a band playing music and a group of performers dancing with fire, providing entertainment for the crowd. After the performance, three shamans appear in the center of the circle and commence their act. Using flames, smoke, other special effects, and music, they show a tale of a male insect performing heroic acts such as slaying a two-headed giant, petrifying a lake witch, and banishing a vile spirit. Throughout multiple parts of the story, the crowd responds by booing, hissing, or hurling food against the enemies to the hero, bawling when events turn for the worse for him, to cheering and whistling when he prevails or does a righteous act, even adoring the romance scenes between him and a female villager. The final for the protagonist depicts an invading army from another land butchering civilians, pillaging settlements, and incinerating the lands to the audience's choler and its vitriolic shouts. He and the best warriors form a resistance and mount a solid rebound before suffering grievous casualties. In their final stand, he fights the prominent leader of the opposing army and sacrifices himself at the end to kill him and force the aggressors to retreat, saving the land. The entire crowd erupts in a standing ovation, some of the members still wiping tears from their eyes from the sacrifice.
Soon the noise reduces in volume to silence as Jašav appears from her palace with servants carrying Lyera and Takasato behind her on their separate, wooden platform. Unlike earlier, she wears enough clothing barely to cover her crotch and other parts of her body along with white body paint. They continue to advance to the center of the circle when she halts at the edge, and they place them vertically to reveal magical, vibrant vines binding them to the boards and full-frontal nudity to the audience and Ashereth, Krivkris, and Rakiri.
“Génriliu á pošonou, iwiste ïl œgyriumešten'ué Otïkilæs Dûn," Jašav announced to her citizens. They respond by applauding. “Prôl ïl šeret' aé wért ofæmenes tié ofïkliu ïl Kepæt Ásaven fœ æm gylïak Erukštêni'aé. Hekašon eás ïte." As she prays to her deity, everyone else besides the outsiders fall to their knees, hold both hands together to form a point and extend it upwards while looking up. At the commencement, music starts as she walks over to Lyera and Takasato with white, viscous liquid in a stone bowl in her hand and chanting, “Kepæt Ásaven Hecá n'ué. Kepæt Ásaven Érenek' ué."
Immediately after the white liquid touches Lyera's bare skin, she shivers and has goosebumps as Jašav paints symbols on her, including her breasts and groin, causing her to squirm and moan. She copies the exact steps on Takasato, resulting in identical reactions from her as Lyera though requiring more paint due to her fur.
A shaman swaps places with the queen for the next stage of the ritual. Instead of paint, her bowl contains another liquid more fluid than it, clearer, and Lyera and Takasato believe it's alcoholic by the pungent odor. After dipping her fingers on her right hand, she splashes them by flicking the liquid off her digits, and she performs the process eight times per person. The rest of the citizens start to sway left and right while staring straight up as a massive orifice starts to form in a perfect circle by six triangles opening downward above the ritual site.
To Ashereth's, Krivkris's, and Rakiri's lividity, Jašav is in front of Takasato, and she fondles her breasts against her will. Despite her resistance, she manages to pin her mouth and engage in a deep kiss while her left hand migrates down to her lubricated groin and inserts two fingers into her slit while the Ki'Tsun expresses her disapproval. Several minutes of insertions coat them in Takasato's fluids before she pulls them out, samples half of it, and forces her to taste the other half.
During Jašav's replication on Lyera, she bites her tongue when she attempts at her deep kiss, prompting a quick slap across her face. “Tôvotstenœs karï." As punishment, the barely amounts of Jašav's covering disappear, revealing her vagina and a nasty surprise when she magically forms a penis above it.
Watching everything unfold and the imminent, forced coitus provoke Krivkris to break his code and do the unthinkable. “Šovok devvilogal," he said in the verboten language in a monstrous tone. In his hands is the Arcanium Scroll, and it's currently open while Ashereth and Rakiri freeze in disbelief. Power, images, and forbidden knowledge from it flood his mind, and with them, he can sense a virulent entity focus its attention on his location. However, he notices the natives and their queen recoil in horror at his speech. He determines that this is the only way to rescue Lyera and Takasato and liberate the party to complete their mission. Now she is escalating beyond the line. I'll only activate the scroll for just this instance to free my companions and myself. Then I won't utilize it ever again. “Trintšte oj mienul."
To Krivkris's astonishment, Jašav can understand him and vice versa when she speaks, “We're sorry. We'll do as you command. Please, don't summon the Erukštêni or his army on us."
They know Death Speech. Then why are they deathly terrified? It doesn't matter, the mission depends on our freedom. I also made a vow not to lose my friends if I can help it. “Release Lyera and Takasato from their bindings and free us from our cage."
Not wanting to infuriate Krivkris further, the natives obey obediently. They first emancipate Lyera and Takasato, looking at him for any signs of escalation in his rage every step of the way. Keys jiggling from one of the nervous guard's tremulous hands, he eventually unlocks the cage after four attempts at inserting the key into the lock and Ashereth, Krivkris, and Rakiri stretch as soon as they walk out, cracking several bones. All but the Dragonkin run to their respective partner and embrace each other.
“Is that all?" asked Jašav nervously.
“Return our equipment you stole from us," Krivkris answered. “And while you're at it, add two sets of clothes for Lyera and Takasato." Jašav relays the message to her subjects in the other language, and they scurry off to fulfill his request.
“Krivkris, are you ok?" asked Takasato, perturbed at what she observed on him.
“Yes," he replied in the common tongue. “Why?"
“Look at your arm. I believe you can cease exerting power out of the scroll now."
A glance at his right arm reveals purple markings forming in the shape of flames and increasing in size the longer he exploits the artifact. “Not until I fully know they won't retaliate." I do enjoy this unknown force, however.
“I'm positive they get the point," she continued to urge.
“Once they allow us to leave without trailing, I promise to stop and not abuse the Arcanium Scroll again till its destruction." Where was this during Esaal? I should retain it to avoid a repeat of Esaal. Diminutive horns start to appear on Krivkris's head. When the servants return with the equipment, he and his party scour the pile for their possessions, and he begins to become frantic when he couldn't locate one item. Eyes blazing, he stares at the queen and asks in Death Speech, “Where is it?"
“Where's what?" asked Jašav.
“My necklace, it's not in the pile."
Praying that there isn't a significant blunder, Jašav asks a servant in the other tongue, “Asaph, mé-si pelarï'ué?"
“Kosæmšavût," he responded with a shrug. “Olœkitût." His answer sends shivers down Jašav's spine, and she sweats with fear.
“What's the issue?" asked Krivkris, his eyes clouded by an unknown entity.
“We -How should I word this?- destroyed your pendant," Jašav answered. “It no longer exists."
As a reaction, Krivkris decapitates Jašav and casts a spell at innocent natives, “Incineration!" To the members of the surrounding audience, they hear instead, “Siemavoks!" A group of fourteen citizens of all ages spontaneously combust, and they howl in agony as their clothes burn away entirely and their skin, revealing guts, muscles, and other organs. Their bodily fluids boil inside them before vaporizing, and the flames scorch their organs to a crisp before they succumb. The remaining natives flee while security rushes in to dispatch the threat, and Ashereth, Lyera, Rakiri, and Takasato subdue him. “Release me this instant," he ordered although they hear instead, “Adainagaž bež noltž."
“Krivkris, stop," Ashereth shouted.
“This isn't like you," Rakiri spoke.
“What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Takasato.
“The actual Krivkris wouldn't allow such vile magic to manipulate him," Lyera said.
The urgent pleas from them cause Krivkris to have a brief moment of clarity, and, in shock and disgust by his previous action, he shuts the Arcanium scroll and hastily shoves it back in his bag. The apparent horns, markings, and minor formation of armor fade slowly until there are zero traces. “Sorry," he said.
“Apologize later," Ashereth replied. “Right now, we need to run over to the nearest cave path."
“Cœveetâl," one of the guards shouted. “Wïkanewé glôya'ué."
“Benïk," ordered Berál. Her authoritative tone compels the guards to cease their charge. She stares at Krivkris and his party and, after a minute of concentrating severely, commands them in the common tongue, “Leave." They comply gratefully with her behest and travel to the nearest cave path while she and the guard argue in their native language.
During their travel, Lyera and Takasato don on their new clothes until they arrive at a shop to replace them; they sufficiently cover their breasts and crotch, but they prefer extra covers. To combat the stygian path, Lyera conjures four spheres of light.
Farther into the cave, Ashereth falls back and emanates magic while placing both hands on the ground. “Earth Nature: Rock Wall!" Expending massive amounts of his mana than the spell typically requires, he erects a towering, serried wall of earth from the bottom to the top of the cave, sealing the path as a precaution before returning to his party. They walk in silence, not daring to ask Krivkris about the event.
If you enjoy this chapter, please favorite, leave a comment, and spread the word. I'll post chapter 6 next week.