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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7540368" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Happy holidays to my readers, I hope that the season is fun and stress-free for you all. </p><p></p><p>* * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 236</p><p></p><p>Xeeta had no idea how much time had passed since her last visit to the ritual chamber. Her captors had force-fed her, and whatever they’d given her had obviously been drugged. She had a vague idea that she’d been there for a few days at least. The hope that her friends would find her was fading under a crushing weight of despair. It was the memory of Rodan’s face that wore most heavily upon her. She hadn’t seen him since that brief initial contact, and had no idea where Kalev was keeping him. During one of the more lucid moments she’d screamed herself hoarse within her cell, but no one had heard, or at least no one who cared.</p><p></p><p>This time, as she stirred to the sensation of being carried once more, she did not struggle. Instead she pretended to be unconscious and saved her strength for whatever desperate chance her captors might give her.</p><p></p><p>The contents of the ritual chamber had been revised during the interval since her last visit. The circle on the floor had been inscribed again, larger this time, almost a full ten paces across. She tried not to dwell on what that might mean. The faint light coming from the runes was augmented by a few dozen small candles scattered around the edges of the central platform and elsewhere within the chamber, some resting on pipes or niches in the stone walls. The burning wax filled the place with a cloying scent that made Xeeta’s head start to swim within moments.</p><p></p><p>They were not the first to arrive. Kalev was there, standing in the shadows, draped in his elaborate costume. A limp form lay slumped on the far side of the circle. Xeeta resisted the instinct to call out to him.</p><p></p><p>Toros carried her to a spot opposite the unconscious Rodan. As they drew close Xeeta could see that there had been another addition: an iron eyelet bolted to the floor. A set of manacles was attached to it. Vesca scurried ahead of it and gathered up the chain.</p><p></p><p>On seeing that, Xeeta made her move. She shifted and with all her strength jammed her elbow into Toros’s face. The impact sent a hard jolt of pain up her arm, and the hulking tiefling grunted. His grip loosened only slightly, but she was able to get her other arm up enough to loosen her gag. She sucked in a breath and prepared to unleash a spell, but before she could manage to summon her magic Toros lifted her and slammed her bodily to the floor. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and likely cracked a few ribs. She tried to fight through the pain, to do <em>something</em>, but even as flames began to flicker around her fingertips a hard jolt blasted through her head and she lost the spell.</p><p></p><p>Still dazed, she was barely able to register Vesca’s leering face above her own. “Naughty, naughty,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“Don’t do this,” she said. “You don’t have to do this, he’s just using you…”</p><p></p><p>Vesca only sneered, and yanked her gag back over her mouth.</p><p></p><p>“Bind her,” Kalev said. Working efficiently together, the twins secured her wrists with the manacles. When Xeeta finally recovered enough to move all she could do was yank helplessly on the chain holding her. It was just long enough to keep her from reaching the edge of the circle, she noted.</p><p></p><p>Vesca went over to Kalev, and then went around the circle, placing a small bowl at each of the four cardinal directions. Xeeta didn’t realize what the other two were for until the twins took up spots opposite each other, perpendicular to the axis formed by herself and Rodan. Even then she could not quite believe it, not until Kalev drew his small knife and walked over to Toros.</p><p></p><p>“Through blood we offer sacrifice, and seek intercession for the greater mandate,” the old man said. The big tiefling meekly tilted his head to the side and offered no resistance as Kalev cut him and filled the bowl. He placed it on the floor on the very edge of the circle of silver runes.</p><p></p><p>The same process was repeated with Rodan and Vesca. Rodan appeared to be either drugged or unconscious, for he did not react to the procedure. Xeeta tensed, ready to fight as soon as Kalev was within reach, but the arcanist paused with the final bowl. Holding her with his eyes, he spoke a word of magic. Xeeta blinked… and realized that the bowl was in front of her, presumably filled with her blood. She could feel the fresh pain on the side of her head but had no memory of the incision being made or the blood being collected. Kalev was already halfway back around the circle. She lashed out with her foot, trying to knock the bowl over, but again her captors’ preparations proved effective; it was just out of her reach.</p><p></p><p>Kalev selected a spot halfway between Rodan and Vesca and began to chant. Again Xeeta felt the potency in the otherwise meaningless syllables, and the eerie reverberations as they echoed back through the pipes. Again she felt the power likewise stir inside of her, touching the Demon. She recoiled from that touch, though there was nothing she could do; with her arms bound behind her she could not loosen her gag, and without her voice and her hands she could not summon her magic.</p><p></p><p>The ritual continued, longer this time, building to some dread purpose. Xeeta could only stare helplessly at the circle and its master. The blood in the bowls began to bubble, and vapors rose from each, a visible tendril that swirled in the air as if dancing to the cadence of the chant. Vesca and Toros knelt passively, watching.</p><p></p><p>After an interminable stretch of time Xeeta became aware of something else, a flapping of wings like those of a bat. She looked around but saw nothing. Kalev apparently heard it too, for he paused in his chant and looked up with irritation on his face. The tendrils of blood-vapor ceased their motion, and the power already gathered in the circle froze.</p><p></p><p>“I told you, no interruptions,” Kalev hissed.</p><p></p><p>A figure materialized in mid-air, the source of the sound Xeeta had heard. She recognized it: an imp, the size of a small dog, its features hideous. It appeared to be missing one leg.</p><p></p><p>“Intruders, Master. Four of them, bearing magic. They come this way.”</p><p></p><p>Kalev’s gaze shifted to meet Xeeta’s eyes, and she tried to hide the look of triumph she suddenly felt. But the old wizard quickly recovered. “Take Vesca and Toros. Delay them. I need several more minutes to complete the ritual.”</p><p></p><p>The imp bowed and disappeared again. The twins rose silently and departed. Xeeta turned as much as her bonds allowed her, but they quickly left her view.</p><p></p><p>When she turned back, Kalev was watching her again. “Your friends will arrive only to find that death awaits them,” he said.</p><p></p><p>He resumed his chant, the power surging again to meet his call. Xeeta could only clutch the chain and hope with all her might. <em>Hurry!</em> she thought.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7540368, member: 143"] Happy holidays to my readers, I hope that the season is fun and stress-free for you all. * * * Chapter 236 Xeeta had no idea how much time had passed since her last visit to the ritual chamber. Her captors had force-fed her, and whatever they’d given her had obviously been drugged. She had a vague idea that she’d been there for a few days at least. The hope that her friends would find her was fading under a crushing weight of despair. It was the memory of Rodan’s face that wore most heavily upon her. She hadn’t seen him since that brief initial contact, and had no idea where Kalev was keeping him. During one of the more lucid moments she’d screamed herself hoarse within her cell, but no one had heard, or at least no one who cared. This time, as she stirred to the sensation of being carried once more, she did not struggle. Instead she pretended to be unconscious and saved her strength for whatever desperate chance her captors might give her. The contents of the ritual chamber had been revised during the interval since her last visit. The circle on the floor had been inscribed again, larger this time, almost a full ten paces across. She tried not to dwell on what that might mean. The faint light coming from the runes was augmented by a few dozen small candles scattered around the edges of the central platform and elsewhere within the chamber, some resting on pipes or niches in the stone walls. The burning wax filled the place with a cloying scent that made Xeeta’s head start to swim within moments. They were not the first to arrive. Kalev was there, standing in the shadows, draped in his elaborate costume. A limp form lay slumped on the far side of the circle. Xeeta resisted the instinct to call out to him. Toros carried her to a spot opposite the unconscious Rodan. As they drew close Xeeta could see that there had been another addition: an iron eyelet bolted to the floor. A set of manacles was attached to it. Vesca scurried ahead of it and gathered up the chain. On seeing that, Xeeta made her move. She shifted and with all her strength jammed her elbow into Toros’s face. The impact sent a hard jolt of pain up her arm, and the hulking tiefling grunted. His grip loosened only slightly, but she was able to get her other arm up enough to loosen her gag. She sucked in a breath and prepared to unleash a spell, but before she could manage to summon her magic Toros lifted her and slammed her bodily to the floor. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and likely cracked a few ribs. She tried to fight through the pain, to do [i]something[/i], but even as flames began to flicker around her fingertips a hard jolt blasted through her head and she lost the spell. Still dazed, she was barely able to register Vesca’s leering face above her own. “Naughty, naughty,” he said. “Don’t do this,” she said. “You don’t have to do this, he’s just using you…” Vesca only sneered, and yanked her gag back over her mouth. “Bind her,” Kalev said. Working efficiently together, the twins secured her wrists with the manacles. When Xeeta finally recovered enough to move all she could do was yank helplessly on the chain holding her. It was just long enough to keep her from reaching the edge of the circle, she noted. Vesca went over to Kalev, and then went around the circle, placing a small bowl at each of the four cardinal directions. Xeeta didn’t realize what the other two were for until the twins took up spots opposite each other, perpendicular to the axis formed by herself and Rodan. Even then she could not quite believe it, not until Kalev drew his small knife and walked over to Toros. “Through blood we offer sacrifice, and seek intercession for the greater mandate,” the old man said. The big tiefling meekly tilted his head to the side and offered no resistance as Kalev cut him and filled the bowl. He placed it on the floor on the very edge of the circle of silver runes. The same process was repeated with Rodan and Vesca. Rodan appeared to be either drugged or unconscious, for he did not react to the procedure. Xeeta tensed, ready to fight as soon as Kalev was within reach, but the arcanist paused with the final bowl. Holding her with his eyes, he spoke a word of magic. Xeeta blinked… and realized that the bowl was in front of her, presumably filled with her blood. She could feel the fresh pain on the side of her head but had no memory of the incision being made or the blood being collected. Kalev was already halfway back around the circle. She lashed out with her foot, trying to knock the bowl over, but again her captors’ preparations proved effective; it was just out of her reach. Kalev selected a spot halfway between Rodan and Vesca and began to chant. Again Xeeta felt the potency in the otherwise meaningless syllables, and the eerie reverberations as they echoed back through the pipes. Again she felt the power likewise stir inside of her, touching the Demon. She recoiled from that touch, though there was nothing she could do; with her arms bound behind her she could not loosen her gag, and without her voice and her hands she could not summon her magic. The ritual continued, longer this time, building to some dread purpose. Xeeta could only stare helplessly at the circle and its master. The blood in the bowls began to bubble, and vapors rose from each, a visible tendril that swirled in the air as if dancing to the cadence of the chant. Vesca and Toros knelt passively, watching. After an interminable stretch of time Xeeta became aware of something else, a flapping of wings like those of a bat. She looked around but saw nothing. Kalev apparently heard it too, for he paused in his chant and looked up with irritation on his face. The tendrils of blood-vapor ceased their motion, and the power already gathered in the circle froze. “I told you, no interruptions,” Kalev hissed. A figure materialized in mid-air, the source of the sound Xeeta had heard. She recognized it: an imp, the size of a small dog, its features hideous. It appeared to be missing one leg. “Intruders, Master. Four of them, bearing magic. They come this way.” Kalev’s gaze shifted to meet Xeeta’s eyes, and she tried to hide the look of triumph she suddenly felt. But the old wizard quickly recovered. “Take Vesca and Toros. Delay them. I need several more minutes to complete the ritual.” The imp bowed and disappeared again. The twins rose silently and departed. Xeeta turned as much as her bonds allowed her, but they quickly left her view. When she turned back, Kalev was watching her again. “Your friends will arrive only to find that death awaits them,” he said. He resumed his chant, the power surging again to meet his call. Xeeta could only clutch the chain and hope with all her might. [i]Hurry![/i] she thought. [/QUOTE]
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