Sothoryos VII
Jon didn't have much knowledge of magic. In fact, it's better to say that he couldn't even be considered a novice in the knowledge of magic. And the first time he saw any magic, it was against the Sothoryi, those men who attacked him long ago. And it was a pretty horrifying sight. He didn't even know how it was done or what the potions of strength and healing he'd taken contained.
But here he was, after a long journey, in a place he knew nothing more about than the jungle of Sothoryos. He stood in front of a large wall of black stone. It was the same thing that the temple of Yeen was built of. Unpleasant, ominous dark stone. It almost looked like a wall made of pure darkness that rose from the ground and hid everything from view, completely contrasting with the vivid colors of the jungle behind him.
Jon frowned, raising his head to see the top of the wall. It didn't look like there was the presence of anything or anyone up there, so he turned and began to climb the nearest tree. All the trees were huge, and their tops reached right to the top. So, he decided to climb up to see the other side and, if it was safe, try to jump over the wall.
It took him a few minutes to climb the large tree with the help of his sword. When he reached the branches, things were easier. From there, he just had to climb a little further.
Jon let out a small sigh as he looked down, feeling that even with his current physical condition, the blow of the fall would hurt more than a little. And when he turned to look at the inside of the wall, he gasped in disbelief. What his eyes saw was a city. Not something similar to the ruined city he found shortly after being transported to Sothoryos. This was different, completely different.
The dark wall surrounded the entire interior, in what seemed like a circle. And inside, there was not a single tree or bush. Right in the center, there was a huge temple similar to the one in Yeen. This temple had five paths leading to it, with other smaller temples at the end. On either side of those paths, there were also square structures, similar to houses.
Jon watched intently. He saw some Sothoryi walking near what could be their houses. He couldn't see that far, but the ones closest to where he was, wore what looked like furs on their waists, covering their private parts. Some also wore them on their shoulders, covering part of their chests and backs.
"This might be too dangerous. I don't even know if all of them can use magic like the ones I found before," Jon muttered, worried with what he was seeing. After looking for a couple more minutes, he sat down on the thick branch of the tree and pulled out his map from storage.
"Ah'Kazan... so this is Ah'Kazan," Jon thought for a few seconds before pulling out his information book. He quickly flipped through the pages, looking for the name Ah'Kazan.
"Here... Let's see... A city considered a sanctuary by its inhabitants. The largest tribe of Sothoryi live here, praying and making offerings to their god every day of the year. On the eve of every new year, a newborn, a child, an adult, and an elder will be sacrificed to renew their vows to their god," Jon frowned, disgusted by the last part. So he moved on to read the next page.
"Ah'Kazan is considered an abomination to the world by the race that exists further south, in the lands of eternal spring. The latter leave their territory every so often to cleanse nature of what they consider one of the vilest things in existence."
Jon closed the book, now unsure of what to do. He could go around the wall, as that would be the best option. He didn't want to enter Ah'Kazan now that he knew what the Sothoryi were doing in their city. And it was the best option he had.
"Yes. That will be best," Jon said to himself before he began to carefully descend. There was no point in going into danger when there was no need for such a thing. Right now, his goal was to reach the land of eternal spring, as he believed it was the safest place. It was true that he didn't know anything about the race that lived there, but if they were enemies of the Sothoryi, he thought they shouldn't be that bad.
As Jon got down, he looked at his sword, which was a little dull from the continued use he had given it while traveling. He would soon need a new one. He walked around the wall, moving away little by little, so as not to attract the attention of anyone leaving the city at that moment.
It took him more than half an hour to start moving away from Ah'Kazana. And at that moment, he hadn't realized that his decision had been the best one. In the center of the city, right on top of the main temple, a dark-skinned man stood with his arms outstretched towards the sky. A jaguar head hid his face as he screamed in an unknown language.
The sound of his voice spread, causing everyone to start walking towards the center of the city. At the same time, a nauseating smell spread throughout the place. It had emerged from nowhere.
Two people knelt at the front, with knives made of stone in their hands. The man at the top looked at them carefully. He let out a word and the two kneeling, pierced each other's hearts.
The blood didn't splash at that moment, but began to fall down their bodies, until it touched the ground. A pool of blood formed as the seconds passed, while the skin of the sacrifices turned pale.
The lifeblood of these two people entered the grooves on the stone floor, only to move like red snakes, climbing up the sides of the temple's massive stairs.
The apparent leader shouted once more. Then, two more men stepped forward with knives in their hands.
Only they knew what they were doing. Within the city, they were the only ones who understood the sacrifices they made to their god.
And as six men went to sacrifice themselves, two others walked forward. But, these two, did not have knives in their hands. Instead, they held a woman by her arms. And she was not like the others. Her hair was blonde, while her skin was full of wounds, and showed a milky white hue. Her green eyes stared with resentment and boundless hatred at the man above.
The woman was struck in the knees, causing her to fall to her knees. And as she was about to scream, a sword struck her neck from the side. Her head was not cut off by the dull sword, so they hit her again, and then again, until her head rolled to the side as blood cascaded down to the ground.
An unearthly shriek filled the city as a bloody mist appeared out of nowhere.
Only they knew what they were doing.
And only they understood the meaning of that bloody mist.
For that reason, they laughed with joy.
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