THE DEATH OF HANUMAN THE MONKEY GOD
"Hey, wake up you, stupid monkey", Cardinal shouted at the dead monkey.
"Moron, see what you've done to the monkey, you killed him. I will kill you for it", Mage Narga screamed at the cardinal as she flew down toward the trial grounds and witnessed the dead corpse of the Ayen monkey god.
The Cardinal quickly dropped his lash as the server boy handed over his sword. He took his sword and pointed it at the Mage of Prolis to face her wrath.
The server boy quickly took the cardinal's lash and kept it.
"Subjects under interrogation die all the time what is there to complain about", Cardinal Gungroy replied to the Mage of Prolis defiantly.
"That monkey belongs to us, and you killed him. You better give me a good explanation beside that", Mage Narga told the cardinal.
By this time, the people of the Mages of Prolis and the Church gathered at the trial grounds and were angrily arguing about the cardinal's accidental killing of the monkey in the cage.
However, there was no resolution to their arguments.
The Church realized there was no use arguing further and decided to leave.
"You can have the damn monkey now", Cardinal Gungroy told the Mages as he left with his people.
"This will not be the end of this", Mage Narga scolded the cardinals as they left hurriedly.
When the cardinals returned to the church, Cardinal Gungroy suddenly remembered something.
"Where is that new server boy and that bloody Lash of Flagitious", Cardinal Gungroy asked.
"All our people have returned to our church, who are you looking for your excellency?" a priest replied and asked him.
"The boy who was serving us during the trial", Cardinal Gungroy asked.
"I thought that boy was in your private retinue, your excellency. We don't have any record of him working in our Church", the priest replied to the cardinal.
"Who is that damn server boy? And where is that damn Lash of Flagitious?" Cardinal Gungroy shouted out and asked.
"Maybe he went to return the Lash to the Emperor, that stupid boy", a cardinal suggested.
"No, we went to inquire with the Emperor's retinue. None of our server boys went to borrow the Lash from them and they don't even have the Lash of Flagitious in the first place", another priest reported to the confusion of the holy men.
"Who in Elis is that stupid boy?" the cardinals asked.
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Shamans worked with deliberate care, their movements precise and reverent as they approached the sacred artifact known as the Lash of Flagitious.
In the dimly lit chamber, the atmosphere was thick with the smell of incense and burning herbs, while the faint flicker of torches cast dancing shadows against the stone walls, adding to the air of mystery.
The lash itself, made of braided, ancient leather and adorned with radiant gems, lay on a pedestal, pulsing with a faint magical aura.
One by one, the shamans untied the enchanted bindings and gently pried the glittering gems from the lash. They placed each gem on a worn stone altar in a precise arrangement, the cool stone covered in ancient runes and symbols that glowed faintly under the influence of their magic.
A low chant began, their voices harmonizing with the soft hum of the earth beneath them, as they cast a powerful incantation over the stones.
Suddenly, the air around the altar shimmered, crackling with energy as vibrant streams of magic essence erupted from the gems.
The glowing essences twirled and swirled like tendrils of light, rising higher and higher into the air until they began to merge and solidify. Slowly, the magical energy took form, shifting into the distinct shape of a large, majestic monkey, its fur shimmering like molten silver in the half-light.
Before them stood the spirit of Hanuman, the Ayen God.
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"You, Oriese, you saved me from death? How is that possible?", Hanuman asked me as his spirit rose before me.
"Yes, you died ... in a way. I was worried that you will not act according to my plan and die", I told the Ayen god.
"It is quite obvious isn't it. The Inquisitors strikes me with a lash containing a Soul Extraction Gem. I thought for a moment, someone must have wanted my soul going into the gem", Hanuman replied to us.
"Why are you so sure the gem is from someone who came to rescue you? It could be the Church's way of stealing your soul", Sara asked the Ayen god monkey.
"There is a tiny dark magic inside the gem that is familiar to me. The Church will usually not resort to tricks such as stealing souls from a cage with a Soul Extraction Gem, they are not capable of such. Only those from the Dark Church may do such things and have access to the Dark Angel's magic", Hanuman replied to us.
"The idiot put his magic into the gem to lure you out?" Sara asked him and the monkey nodded.
"This is a little risky, but it is the only way we can get you out from there, or at least your soul. If you didn't get my plan, you will really have to be transported back to Prolis", I said to Hanuman.
"Your majesty, the Church are in the halls asking for the Lash of Flagitious and about the server boy who came earlier", an advisor rushed in to inform me.
"Send Raven to meet them. I've never seen a Lash of Flagitious in my life, tell him that", I replied to the runner.
"What happened? What did you do to save me?" Hanuman asked me.
"I transformed into an ordinary server boy of the Church and went to serve the Cardinal at the Trial of Slaughter. Nobody realized that I was never in their retinue. The Cardinals seldom care about their staff and wouldn't remember all of them, so I could get close to the cardinal. I suggested to the cardinals about using the Lash of Flagitious on you to make you talk and they took the bait. The rest was history", I explained to the monkey god.
"Did you die in the cage?" Sara asked Hanuman.