On the outskirts of Bad Aura's territory lied an old town called Gravestone City. The atmosphere of the Gothic styled metropolis was eerie and bleak even while it's citizens enthusiastically filled the streets. Under the moon's luminous glow, people drove about in hearses and walked the cobble-stoned streets briskly, wearing their dark, victorian and/or gruesome asthetic and styles. The city had tall buildings and cathedrals around nearly every corner. Many of the flowers grown were strange and dead-looking. Like the dried, wilting distainias and mange nettles that were used as spiritual wards. Every resident was either a grey-skinned humanoid, a stitched up ghoul or an anthropomorphic animal- most of them being nocturnal- with a Gothic asthetic.
Amongst this ghastly crowd was a hooded dog walking slowly with her head down. The crop-torn hoodie she wore was grey like her matching torn sash around her waist. She had on ripped purple leggings, tall black Mary Jane shoes with multiple buckles, a black skirt and along with her sash, she wore a silver chain with a gleaming cross charm on it.
As she paused her gait when she noticed a little ghoulish girl with candy colored pigtails crying over her marshmallow treat, being swiped away by a critter-creature. The dog approached the child slowly then looked up to the tree they stood under. A blood apple tree. There were many of them in the region. Like the shadow crawlers in Bad Aura's shack, blood apple trees were a bit of an invasive species in all of Belladame. She reached up and plucked the red, pulsing fruit from the lowest branch then offered it to the crying child. The girl looked up and suddenly her tears turned to manic joy as she grabbed the offering and immediately bit into it heartily. It made a sickening, gushing crunch. The red blood-like juice stained her face as the child gave a satisfied, sharp-toothed grin. The gash in the fruit looked like a tiny opened ribcage complete with the juicy, beating seed that circulated the sweet nectar, from the center.
The girl happily skipped off with her new treat while the hooded dog traced her gaze from where the girl stood and toward the remnants of the stolen marshmallow skull, laying between the bars of a sewer.
...
While the city was a bustling terror full of gloom and tripe above, below it lied many more secrets, like the sewer creatures that stole food and treats from people. And even deeper than that lied the Bone Labyrinth, made from the skeletal remains of dead cave creatures and other citizens that couldn't be placed for burial after death. Some people even opt to be resurrected through mystical alchemy as a more lengthy solution to the ever crowded grave sites. Hence the stitched-up citizens.
When going further into the tunnels, deep within, the curious dog could hear the echoing of voices bouncing off the many confusing walls of bones and cement. A distant chanting was getting louder the further she ventured. It was low and varied with a strange and haunting tempo. She followed the sounds and the strong metalic scent of blood into the dark depths, until she eventually found a large space where several hooded people were kneeling on the cold hard floor.
It looked like they were doing some kind of ritual. There were candles and the cat-eye summoning symbol drawn in blood all over the place. The largest one was on the alter.
The worshipers' robes were black and the hoods looked like the ears of a cat with crests of the cat-eye symbol worn as necklaces and brooches. They were all crowded around at the foot of the alter bowing continuously, as they chanted in a strange language.
Ten lit black candles were placed around the bloody circle while the inverted triangle inside, had three candles placed on its points. A cat's eye was drawn in the center with several summoning sigils around it. It made the dog growl deeply as she observed the scene. These unholy monsters made her sick and the blood that permeated the air didn't help. It nearly overwhelmed her senses but she stayed sharp. She recognized who's blood it was. Her gaze followed the source of the scent.
Above the summoning circle on the wall, nailed upside-down inside another bloody circle, was a grey cat anthromorph with dark violet hair and bored yellow eyes. Her hands, feet and even her tail were nailed down like a twisted inverted crucifixion without a cross. She was wearing a rainbow faded shirt with black tiger stripes patterned on it, a purple belt, a black skirt with hip windows on both side, fishnet stockings and black boots.
Her purple irises darted around slowly. She almost seemed unimpressed. She was very familiar with this particular summoning. She had conducted it once before. Not exactly her favorite but then again she didn't exactly like the process of conducting a summoning. It was long, arduous and fucking painful as actual hell.
She was not in the mood to be sacrificed by some cult of sad fucks looking for validation from an unholy being, that wasn't even that powerful! Well not anymore. The cat was content with just waiting everything out until she spotted a hood that didn't match the others. A grey one skulking around in the back of the large group. She figured from that point that a good distraction was in order. Why not? It could be fun.
Just then the leader began ranting on exaggeratedly while holding up a ceremonial knife toward Cadence's throat.
"Great Demon Goddess Felitasni! We offer you this humble virgin sacrifice to you! In hopes that-..."
"Whoa, whoa hold the fuck up there hoods!" The cat suddenly said cutting off the speech. The leader and followers looked to her in confusion.
"First off that title doesn't make a lick of sense. I'm pretty sure she's a Demon Queen, she can't be a goddess too." She corrected.
Behind the distracted crowd the dog was discreetly sneaking between both ends of the room carving three chants into the cement, with a silver blade.
"Second I'm far from being a virgin, hell I'm barely even mortal. Sooo...are you sure this is even gonna work?" She questioned. Planting seeds of doubt into the cult members. Just enough to keep them preoccupied from what was coming.
It was working. "Lenard? It will work, right?" A female asked in fear.
There was a instantaneous rise of murmuring from the group of over a hundred. Concerned voices asking questions and wondering if what she said could be true. He couldn't have that. Questions and doubt were a scourge to his cause. The time was now for his plans to come to fruition. The demoness had to be summoned. Not wanting to lose his nerve or the order of his flock, the leader growled with ire. He gripped the knife tightly in his fist. He had waited too long for this moment. This was his chance.
"Enough!" He roughly removed his hood revealing a thin man with pale grey skin, long white hair and red eyes. The dark shading around his eyes made him appear manic and unwell as he angrily spoke with urgancy.
"The new world order is at hand and there is no time left for us. We must ally with our goddess..."
"Queen." Cadence corrected. The leader jabbed the knife toward her menacingly.
"Quiet you! We must align ourselves with Felitasni before the end comes! It's our only chance!" He shouts to his followers until suddenly the candles go out, one by one. Just then a fire ignited and lit up the space, engulfing all the members in its white flames.
However it didn't kill them. It merely knocked them unconscious and left them a little singed. The leader went cold and rigid at the sight of his flock falling to the ground with a hundred resounding thuds that simultaneously chorused loudly, echoing off the walls until it became unsettlingly silent. The candles went alight again but with the white fire as its source. It somehow made the room much brighter.
The only ones left awake were Cadence, Lenard and the hooded dog who stood across the mass of fallen bodies, facing the Leader with a threatening aura. Her stance was menacing as she removed her hood revealing dark brown and white fur, black hair and grey-green eyes, with dark purple eyelids. She glare warned him not to do anything stupid.
Terrified and feeling cornered Lenard figured that maybe if he acted now he could summon the demon and be saved. If he could just killed the cat now.
Like a coward he tried to escape his fate. He was unsuccessful as he ended up put out of commission with the butt of a slicer hook the dog had thrown. Cadence laughed cruely at the scene as the dog walked toward her stepping over and around lightly groaning bodies as retracted her hook with a swift tug of the silver chain that was attached to it.
"Sick move Essie!" The cat complimented. The dog was not amused however. While Cadence tried to wiggle free of the nails embedded in her palms, feet and tails Ester walked up to the alter frowning at her companion.
"What the hell did you do this time Cadence?" She questioned sternly with a subtle romanian accent. She then violently pulled the nails from the cat's hands. "Ow!" Then the one in her feet. "Gah!" Then finally the one in her tail.
"AAAARGH! THE FUCK ESTER!" Cadence fell to the ground with a thud as the dog look down at her with a penatrative glare.
"Hey! I was the one who got kidnapped, ya know! A little sympathy would be nice..." the feline's complaints were halted when Ester brought out a leather motorcycle jacket. It had silver stud buttons and cat-scratch tears on the upper arms of the sleeves. The dog reached inside one of the pockets and pulled out a large firey blue jem that she knew didn't belong in their realm.
Cadence immediately buttoned her lip when she was presented with the object. As well as a torn page from her Necronomicon, about the demoness the cult were trying to summon and her gem's properties and uses in spell casting and rituals.
"Care to explain?" Ester said. But before an excuse could be mustered the bloody circle on the floor burst into a ring of raging hellfire. A claw found its way through, followed by an another. Then a swarm of black tendrils emerged as a massive cat shaped silhouette rose up from the portal. However it wasn't a silhouette. The creature was the color of pitch black, like a shadow then it turned a more tangible complexion, where the black didn't seem so endless anymore like coal or soot. It had a ring of fire dancing and circling around its neck and when it opened its dozens of double colored eyes the orange and yellow irises, surrounded by red sclera all simultaneously looked down upon the two anthromorphs, glaring hatefully at them.
Ester showed little fear of the demoness. Surprise, yes but other than that she was not phased. Cadence however looked worried. Like she was in serious trouble. Not exactly danger-trouble, more of a-child-caught-in-a-lie-trouble.
"That belongs to ME!" It hissed.
The demoness then raises a claw ready to strike down onto the two until a glowing golden chain shoots out from the nearby wall. Then another and another. Soon the unholy Queen was brought down while trapped in a cocoon of glowing holy chains. The bound creature soon fell onto the ground cracking the cement and even squashing some if the unconscious cultitst under her weight.
"Whoa, prepared as always huh Ess." The cat complimented but Ester was not about to let her off the hook that easily.
"This is your fault Cadence!" She scolded.
While putting her jacket on the cat shot back. "Oh come on! The hell did I do?" The demoness angrily growled as she too piped up to scold the obscene feline who stole from her.
"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!"
"Cadence?" Ester yelled. She practically demanded an explanation. However Cadence was silent as she made a guilty face, darting her eyes to the left and sweating nervously.
*Flashback*
A year ago...
Felitasni's arms and neck were held by firey chains. The angry demoness had a bloody crevice in her forehead. The dark ichor flowed from the hole creating a large puddle about ten feet in width. There was splatter all over the forest, on the trees and in the dirt.
The blue jewel shimmered in Cadence's claw. It had ichor covering one side of it. The cat grinned maniacally at her prize.
"Well Queenie this has been fun but I think this meeting is adjourned. So thanks for your time!"
She held up the gem waving it in a mocking gesture.
"I'll be keeping this little beauty as a keepsake. Hope you understand." She then drew the cat-eye summoning symbol into the dirt of the forest floor. She watched as the ichor flowed into the ridges like a water in a canal. Once it was complete she struck a match and threw it onto the circle.
"YOU LITTLE CUR! I'LL KILL YOU!" The demoness yelled.
"You'll have to get to me first." Cadence responded as the flames of hell reached out and dragged the tendril-legged creature back to damnation. At that moment while flailing and screaming, as the smarmy punk watched with satisfaction Felitasni pulled herself close to the unbothered cat hissing venomously.
"I swear you will pay with your head for this! I will bleed you like a pig! I will tear your soul from your carcass and make you suffer an agonizing eternity of anguish! Mark my words!" She vowed in a harshed whisper. The smug smirk fell from the cat's now blank face. As she watched the demoness being roughly yanked back into hell. The demoness never took her eyes off the grey furred creature as she was dragged away. She wanted to remember every detail of her visage.
"When I return there will be nowhere for you to hide from me." She spoke low. The flames finally engulfed her then disappeared leaving nothing but a simmering scorch mark on the ground.
"Jeez. No need to tempt me with a good time, freaking psycho." She commented to herself while looking down at the burnt symbol.
Unfazed she shrugged then strutted off with the jewel in her jacket. She got what she wanted and that was all that mattered. She didn't have to worry about anything else. Besides what were the odds that Felitasni would come back, right?
*Present*
Cadence stared at the glaring dog with a blank frown before folding her arms and looking away with no shame.
"She started it."
Ester growled at the cat. "Are kidding me? You stole from a Demon!" She yelled. While she berated her comrade the demon behind her bristled with rage.
She wanted the thief's head. She swore to make the vibrantly dressed brat pay for her insolence. The unholy creature refused to loose this opportunity. She wiggled and shifted her body inside the cocoon of chains, finding feeling in one of her tentacles before swiftly smashing the appendage against the wall.
The two anthromorphs looked over to see that unfortunately, Felitasni had successfully damaged the binding seal that kept her down. The chains hadn't disappeared completely but she was able to get her arms free. She immediately struck out at the two. They jumped out of the way. They both tumbled landing a few feet away. Cadence's back hit the wall hard causing her to groan in pain.
Ester kept her eye on their enemy as the Queen fought her out of the weakened chains. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized the demoness was almost out of the binds.
"Shit. Move!" She shouted as a tendril almost struck down on the two. Soon all of them came down on them one after the other. The dog and cat weaved and dodged every one until they reached the exit. Cadence quickly pulled out a pink ball with a creepy black smile on it. She threw it toward the demon. The Lenard stirred awake not realizing what was going on. He look down. Saw the ghastly smile on the ball before it started beeping.
He realized too late.
*BOOOM*
The bomb exploded. The blast took up the whole tunnel, basically chasing the two rapidly. This wasn't a holy fire. This was a mortal flame. Real damage could've been done if they didn't hurry. The pair sped up. Ester tried to find an exit. Soon a light glinted from a tunnel on her right as they passed by. Before she could register what it was, suddenly a sharp hook on a wire shot down through the hole. It pierced through Ester's hoodie then the hook went through Cadence's left shoulder.
They were instantly yanked out of the way at the last minute, the blast missing them by inches. The girls found themselves pulled through another tunnel before being grabbed by a pair of strong arms. They were then lifted up and carried out of the sewers and put down onto the solid ground. They had narrowly escaped by the skin of their teeth. They were safe, for now.