The ritual took months of preparation, but years of planning and like expected so many sacrifices that only a truly fanatical cult could have accomplished it. The virgins aside managing to hide the abduction of one the legendary hero's children was perhaps the most scrupulous piece of the plan but his blood was the only way to guaranteed success.
Robert.- "I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! WAS THE SUMMONING A SUCCESS?"
Lackey A.- "My lord there is someone at the center of the magical circle. I believe we have finally succeeded."
"I can't say I agreed to your methods but I am here as the contract specify. You may call me Thorn and I know that which you desire but to ensure that my mission is completed I regret to inform you that your services are no longer required. ( Was that perhaps to cliche. I mean it just sounded too rehearsed.)"
Before he finished speaking the only person still remaining alive was the cult leader Robert. It was quick and painless, a simple magic that caused the brain to stop functioning. Well perhaps Ice Magic may be simple but the control and accuracy that was required to just freeze the brain of over one hundred individuals scatter across the underground complex that was the headquarters of The Church of Demon Blood was indeed not.
"(Honestly that habit of overdoing things I must have inherited from dad. What am I gonna do with all this corpses.)[Sigh]Mr. Summoner would you please calm down we need to talk there is information that I still would like to acquired. While I may be able to finish my mission with out it, knowing as much as is possible would simplify many of the things that would come after your disposal."
Robert.- "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. WE SUCCEEDED! FINALLY! GLORY TO THE DEMON LORD! GLORY! GLORY! YES! THE END OF THAT DESPICABLE HERO HAS COME!(Thanks to that hero the noble blood of mine was exiled and cursed to walk the street like any other commoner. Hypocrisy! My father was once a powerful noble who held hundreds of slaves under his iron fist. Our family name was once enough for all commoner and noble alike to beg to be in our servitude. When that despicable "hero" learn of his habit of keeping a select few to indulged in some of his more NOBLE hobbies, he declared him a monster, a pervert an inhuman abomination. He along with all members of our noble house were stripped of our surname and forbidden from ever holding a family name for seven generations. Yet that "gentle" and "wise" hero now possess a harem holding over a thousand dolls one of which is that whore sister of mine.) I can't wait to see his blood paint the walls of the royal castle. Oh great servant of the great and powerful Demon God Annatas. Let this humble believer aid you in your path to end the Hero John."
"If I most be honest I don't need to read your mind to know that the only reason you are doing this is out of jealousy and you abnormal and disgusting obsession over you elder sister."
Robert.- "What nonsense you speak. My very existence is solely to serve the.."
"Let me stop you there. Let's get back to business, where am I and where is the Hero currently located?"
Robert.- " Ah yes we have great deal of work to finish. Please allow me introduce my self..."
(Honestly why don't this people ever listen. They are always so stupid, how do they even get this far. Are perhaps the hero's allies more incompetent not managing to locate and removed this bunch of freaks. No. Maybe he indeed has more enemies than allies. It makes sense, I don't think it matters how much charisma you possess there always bound to me resentment piling up after only one get's the girl, when there's two thousand individuals. No doubt that every one of those girls had some stupid man already head over the moon obsess over them.) Robert, right? Well have you really not yet notice that your man are already dead? That aside, do you truly expected this made up ritual to work specially considering you don't even believe in your oh so great Demon God. That aside hasn't the Demon Lord who has been dead for over a decade and is supposed to be the true priest of the Demon God? I mean even your main sacrifice the hero's child still alive and chain to the center of your weirdly shape magic circle. I mean if you can even called that a circle is more like an oval."
Robert.- " YOU! How dare you? Do you even know who am I? I am the great Robert #$#%#%&, of the Great Noble House of #$#%#%&. I am the one who summoned you. Was I Not?
"Not."
Robert.- "NOT!?"
"Yes indeed Not"
Robert.- " Was that..."
"Enough. NO you where not the one that summon me. I mere simply used the fact that you attempted a summoning to hide my presence before your gods. (Honestly why am I even explaining my self to a dead man.) I can't have your Gods know who am I and what my goal is."
Thump. Robert's head hit the ground long after the blade that was used to severe it from his body was return to who knows where.
"That was meaningless. (Letting him live that much longer.)"
Thorn set the bodies on fire and walked out the underground complex. He was currently in Minas a lesser city of the Kingdom Danias. The Hero, John of One Thousand Arrows was located in Almain the Capital of Krain. Krain wasn't always the flourishing empire that now is, thirty years ago it was a small kingdom it the middle of collapse, ravage by the seemingly endless war against the Demon Lord. From Minas to Almain it would take 6 months to a year depending if one could afford to pay for carriage or one would walk all the way. Compare to Krain, Danias was a moderately flourishing coastal kingdom, young but far enough from the main warring areas that perhaps it had a few decades before any impact caused by the war would reach it. So why did Krain became an empire after the dead of the Demon Lord and Danias has barely advanced in this past nineteen years. Exactly because Krain was about to collapse, with no leadership and filled with desperate fools the Hero was allowed to do as he pleased.
"(I wonder for how long this kid been starved. He is so light, well one should used his tools well and give them appropriate maintenance.)"
Innkeper.- "Welcome Adventurer. For how long would you be staying with us? Our inn is proud to include the finest luxuries. We can declared to be the only inn in the entirety of Minas to have a public bath."
"(Adventurer?)Oh, I am not an adventurer. Just a mercenary hired to bring this runaway home."
Innkeeper.- "Sorry if I made any assumptions but that eye catching wardrobe one would assume you to be a fledgling adventurer trying to get himself known.(Well mercenary makes as much sense, but what's the difference?)"
"(Indeed, what's the difference?)I believe we'll need a room with two beds, for at least one week. Is there any such available?"
Innkeeper.- "Yes I have such room. To make sure that we can keep your room available we would need the payment upfront, would that be fine Sir?"
"(Hah, upfront?) Yeah I can pay."
Innkeeper.- "Isa, please show the gentleman the way."
Isa.- "Yes mom. This way sir. You sure are scary looking sir, so tall and imposing. But you won't scare the likes of me I seen adventures just as big. Cover in blood too."
"(Covered in blood? That's just unsanitary) Well it was never my intention to grow to be scary looking. That's genetics I guess.(Genetics my ass. I bet dad wanted to make sure I wouldn't be asking why I was so different from them and made sure I would look like father. But why father of all things, could't at least he do a mixture of the family. Not that it would matter since they can change their appearance and for the most part so can I to a degree.)
Isa.- " Didn't meant to offend you sir"
"No offense taken you wouldn't be the first and I doubt you be the last to mention my appearance"
Isa.- "This is it, and this is the key and no thanks necessary just doing my job"
"Hm. Okay. (Let's put this kid in bed. Okay time to investigate. So this hero as expected just for every praised there is an unspoken complaint. I should expect as much when it just needed a Rank Gold A, no maybe Rank Gold B+. I've only been in the city for a couple of hours and there is so much unrest regarding the Hero. I should get back since the kid should be waking soon. He is going to be unsettled and confused, I still need to plan ahead. I don't know if the funds I acquired, okay stole, from the Church of Demon Blood is going to last until my mission is complete.) You alright kiddo?"
Prince.- "Argh. AHHHH. HELP. HELP! I'VE..."
"You know that's not gonna do much. You need to think things through. Do you know where you at? What's happening? Why it's happening? What can you do? What you should do? SO?"
A terrified child is trying to make since of his situation he was inevitably bound to encounter. He was kidnapped about a year ago in the middle of a running away stunt. It wasn't the first time he tried to runaway, he does it about once a week ever since he turn five and he was once again force to share the celebration with three other siblings. His name, well does it even matter when his own father can recall it. He is not really a prince, he is one of the many children of the legendary hero who has acquired a great deal of worshipers and for every one about a dozen enemies. Not that any would publicly admit to any animosity toward said savior. Being the son of the hero he has been raised with the standards that one would expect of a prince, except for the fact that when he comes of age he would inherit nothing but "legendary" blood. Destined to be nothing but a stud sold to the highest bidder, to ensure the prosperity of the Empire of Krain. He has encounter the entity Thorn and this meeting has erased his destiny from the Fates for better or worse.
"Do you feel like talking now? Tired of screaming? As you notice by now no one can hear you I made sure of that. We have a great deal of thighs to discuss regrettably much of this should never be discuss by someone as young as you.(Maybe he will prove more useful than the cult leader)"