Can't wait to see what's next? You can join my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/pancakeswitch
And gain access to all these Advanced Chapters:
99 Advanced Chapters of
The Protagonist's Sister Is Actually The Strongest
61 Advanced Chapters of
The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns
17 Advanced Chapters of
Fantasy Story Online: The Crippled Vampire Prince Walks The Heavenly Demon Path
-----
The Silent Rainforest, a large forest area that spreads across thousands of kilometers within the Continent's northwest corner. It was what separated Elderbridge and the further Empire of Iron Blood's Capital from the rest of the countries within the only supercontinent of this realm.
And it was also a place known for its darkness, silence, and the mysterious Dark Spirits, unique monsters to only this area of the continent, which were, in fact, actual Spirits that had somehow grown corrupted and turned into corporeal monstrosities.
Due to their dangerous abilities and even the power to possess targets once they're cornered and weakened enough, most people simply avoid the forest altogether, becoming a great natural wall that protected Elderbridge and the rest of the Iron Blood Empire from large-scale invasions.
However, aside from its creepy crawlies, the Silent Rainforest was well known within the Criminal Underworld as a place of Rituals and Secret Dark Sects, which gathered in the ancient underground ruins of old, lost civilizations.
And just in the northern area of the dark forest, there, within the ancient ruins of an old civilization whose only remains were artifacts completely made of emeralds, the forest hosted a large congregation of people.
Mysterious and as silent as the forest itself, they lurked in the shadows, using no light at all other than their own eyes to illuminate their path. Their eyes glowing green, wearing dark green robes, with a red-colored lipstick smile imprinted on the robe's hood.
They were strange and walked strangely, always circling around the ruins and its strange statues made out of emeralds, which were shaped as nude females. Although closer inspection showed they lacked foot and were replaced by flowing water-like mass.
"The Emerald Maiden shall descend one day…"
"And she will embrace us with her love and compassion…!"
"We will rejoice within her warmth and her motherly affection as we become one with her!"
All of them were constantly saying and repeating the same words while walking around the statues and the buildings, until eventually, their first ritual finished.
And they moved to the next.
"Uuaagh!"
"S-Someone save me!"
"Let me go!"
"W-Where are we?!"
"Where did you bring us, bastards?!"
The cultists were carrying several people: some orcs, a few imps, some werewolves, and even blood elves. They were almost completely stripped naked, except that they wore some tattered old robes and also large chains wrapped around their entire bodies, made of emeralds, imbued with a strange, cursed power that kept them paralyzed.
As they were carried into the center of the stage, the cultists glanced in silence as their leader, someone wearing a mask made of emeralds in the shape of a smiling woman, rose his hands into the sky.
"Tonight, we've brought you a bountiful harvest, Emerald Maiden! Please, receive our offerings to you, our sacrifices!"
As he screamed with relentless fanatism, the people being carried onto the stage panicked, some screaming even louder than before, as they saw what awaited them.
"N-No, no, no! Wait a second!"
"What's that?! Don't put me thereee!"
"W-Wait! Please stop!"
They were thrown into a small pit; they all survived the twenty-meter fall; they were tough enough for that, but the dark pit wasn't the scariest part, nor was being thrown down.
"BEGIN THE SACRIFICIAL RITUAL!"
The Cult Leader roared as he suddenly moved a large lever attached to the floor, which rapidly started to activate a series of mechanisms.
CLAAANK!
The sacrifices panicked, looking around as they heard the entire dark pit around them, the long walls, reverberating as countless mechanisms activated one after another.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
As it did, the statue right above the pit, resembling a woman, opened its mouth, pouring something from within, a green liquid.
PPSSSHHH…!
As it fell into the floor, it hit the head of one of the people there; at first they didn't realize it until...
"E-Eh? Ugh? AAAAGGHHH!"
Half their face was melting away.
The other sacrifices stepped back in horror, realizing that the green liquid being poured down was...
"A-Acid?!"
"No…! Wait!"
"You can't do this! You bastards!"
"P-Prince Vlad will find you!"
"He won't let sick cultists like you live here…!"
They were still fighters, people that believed in the afterlife; even if they were going to die here, they were going to make sure to insult their kidnapers.
"…"
However, the Cultist Leader smiled, pleased about their words; it was as if he enjoyed their struggle; it made for something more worthwhile, for a better sacrifice.
"Good, they're lively today. Our Emerald Maiden loves them like that." He nodded. "She loves when they struggle and resist her love! But it is futile! You're not just sacrifices; you're the lucky few, chosen ones that shall accept the embrace of our beloved Emerald Maiden! Rejoice as her embrace returns your existences into the primordial soup!"
PPPSSSHHH!
The acid rapidly poured faster into the pit as the people started trying to escape it, but it was futile; eventually, it caught them, melting their legs as they screamed in agony.
"Uuuaaaagghh!"
"Aaaaarrggh!"
"Nooooooo!"
The Cultist Leader smiled beneath his mask, a smile nobody could see other than his Emerald Maiden, his most beloved maiden of all.
"Aaahh! What a wonderful chorus of pleasure and love! Oh, Emerald Maiden! Please listen to them! Please, rejoice their suffering and pleasure combined as one!"
"The Emerald Maiden shall descend one day…"
"And she will embrace us with her love and compassion…!"
"We will rejoice within her warmth and her motherly affection as we become one with her!"
The other cultist members raised their hands, carrying emerald weapons as they started to recite the same words as before, green flames covering the weapons, as a strange, otherworldly presence was slowly beginning to manifest, becoming stronger.
"Yes, she's here! S-She's truly here!" Laughed the Sect Leader. "Continue! Suffer more! Louder! SEND MORE SACRIFICES!"
More people were being thrown into the acid pool, one after another suffering, screaming as they melted away into the acid.
FLUOOOSH!
The green flames became stronger, the pressure in the air heavier—something was watching them from beyond the stars!
"Aaah! Her caress, her beautiful, lovely, motherly caress! Can you feel her?! Can you feel her love?! Continue, more! More! We cannot let her down now! We must not disappoint her! Let us show her how much we love her!" The Cult Leader laughed. "Hurry and-"
RUMBLE!
However, out of nowhere, the forest trembled incredibly loudly, the entire ritual coming to a halt as the presence of their lady seemed to recede.
"No…!" the Cult Leader panicked. "What… What was that?!"
The eyes of all the Cultists glowed with bright green light as they directed them towards the direction where the loud tremor came from, suddenly sensing the presence of uninvited guests stirring chaos within their territory.
The Cult Leader grew furious, his emerald mask glowing red, changing its expression to pure anger out of nowhere, expressing and absorbing his emotions.
"Those heathens dare to disturb our sacrificial ritual towards our beloved Emerald Maiden?! They'll regret this! THEY WILL REGRET THIS!"
As he roared furiously, several of the Sect Members walked towards him, holding the same weapons as before and powerful Auras.
"Half of you will go see what happened; ten Emerald Warriors shall accompany you as well!" The Cult Leader said as ten warriors wearing armor made of emeralds stepped out of the ruins behind him. "Now go! And bring them to me; anybody that dared to interrupt us shall melt in her acid!"
-----
Can't wait to see what's next? You can join my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/pancakeswitch
And gain access to all these Advanced Chapters:
99 Advanced Chapters of
The Protagonist's Sister Is Actually The Strongest
61 Advanced Chapters of
The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns
17 Advanced Chapters of
Fantasy Story Online: The Crippled Vampire Prince Walks The Heavenly Demon Path