The Five - Destruction of Qeynos

By: Coyotee Sharptongue

A rolling mist of dark
fog crept slowly across the moonlit
graveyard's coarse earth flooring. A soft guttural chant filled the
area,
surrounding the already ominous boneyard with a chill of despair as
five dark
figures kneel upon a fresh grave. Beneath them lay an image of an
inverted
pentacle drawn in a still glistening crimson liquid. At the apex of
each of the
desecrated symbol's five points a crudely crafted candle flickers, it's
flame
cutting through the gloom and casting eerie shadow upon the faces of
the hooded
figures as they chant.

The lead figure, his
black hood adorned with a set of
wicked horns, slowly stands, raising his robed arms to the moonless sky
as his
voice cuts the darkness like a bolt of vile lightning.

'BROTHERS!' The single
word cracks into the night air.
'For endless days and nights we have hidden, laying dormant in this
hated town
as the hapless citizens of Qeynos –“ He pauses as he spits the word
from his
mouth, its very name dripping with malice. “Move about unaware at their
very
destruction now at hand!” He bellows towards the sky, his voice raw
with hate,
jagged by loathing.

“Yet THIS NIGHT, we
HIDE
NO MORE!” His words echo across
the grayed shapes of tombstones around them. “For this night we summon
forth a
demon from the darkest depths of hell! A demon who will serve our
overlord Lucan
D'Lere as it
devours this fetid city in a feast of blood and chaos!” His
fevered
cries rise, his voice giving strength to the remaining four figures who
chant
with renewed fervor.

Raising
his heavily robed arm he points a pale white finger towards the center
of the
arcane symbol and commands the energies around him.

'Let this sacrifice of
blood bring forth the destructor!
Let this beast of unimaginable horror burst forth from the rotten
ground
beneath us and bring forth a new regime of evil!' He screams skyward as
the
other four figures slowly rise.

'Bring forth the
sacrifice.' The lead figure growls as he
crooks a gnarled finger at the robed form beside him.

With a slight bow of
acknowledgement the ordered man
kneels in the center of the perverse symbol, and slowly ties down his
offering.
The leader tilts his hooded head and tries to see around him.

'Dude. What the hell is
that?' The leader asks in annoyed
tones as he pushes the kneeling figure away.

'Um..the sacrifice?' The
underling responds in shaky tones
as his leader leans over him.

'Is that a god damn
TEDDY BEAR? WHAT THE HELL dude?
Where's the cat?!' The lead figure demands as the robed brother
scrambles for
an answer, as he drops one of the ropes that he was using to restrain
the
offering.

'Okay..okay. Now..don't
be mad.' He stammers as he looks
down at the partially restrained teddy bear.

'Don't be MAD? You want
to sacrifice a TEDDYBEAR to the
god damn DEMONS OF DESPAIR AND SORROW! How the HELL would *that* make
me mad?'
The lead figure yells sarcastically as he flails his robed arms around
him.
'How are we going to drink it's blood? A goblet full of white fluff
isn't
exactly the soul scarring symbol of terror IS IT?' He finishes as the
keeper of
the sacrifice slowly stands.

'Um..Coyote?' Another of
the figures steps forward drawing
the attention of the Leader in a quick snap of his head. Coyote stares
in
silence at the newly spoken as he waits for the reasoning behind his
speaking
out of turn.

'Yeah..um..well...you
know the 'blood' pentagram you
wanted?' The new speaker asks, his hooded head staring downward as he
kicks his
feet back and forth. There is no response from the fearsome lead figure
as the
freshly spoken hesitates.

'Um...well..I couldn't
get blood. Okay..I could..but
BLECH.” He says with a shiver. “So....it's..um..ketchup.' He stammers
sheepishly before
stepping back
in place.

'You guys SUCK.' The
head figure admonishes in flat tones.

'Seriously. All I wanted
was a blood sacrifice to appease
the gods and give our Overlord absolute power. Do I get that? NO.' The
lead
figure grumbles as he begins to pace back and forth in rant. 'I get
Captain
French-fry over there drawing symbols of power in 57 sauce and a god
damn
BEANIE BABY. Seriously, what the HELL were you two thinking?' He asks
rhetorically as he continues to pace.

'It's cold out here.'
Another of the figures admits
quietly.

'Yeah.. and this place
is kinda creepy. You didn't say it
was gunna be so dark. Why do we even have to DO this?' The remaining of
the
unspoken adds in a softer, female voice as she begins looking around
nervously.

Groaning, the lead
figure brings a hand to his forehead as
if suddenly struck by a headache. 

'Look you guys, I am NOT
going to get into a polemic
discussion over reason, right, and intention in the MIDDLE OF A
FRELLING
RITUAL!' He explodes as he throws his robed arms in the air.

'You know...technically
we're not a brotherhood, and I
find that term sexist.' The robed “Brother” with the definitely female
voice
adds softly causing the other four figures to groan.

'Not this again. LOOK.
Brotherhood is a canvassing term,
meant to show unity in form, not to segregate due to sex.' The lead
figure
explains as he shakes his head.

'We could try the Dark
Peoplehood.' The keeper of the
sacrifice, now holding the unrestrained teddy bear suggests to the
welcomed
nods and general consensus of the others.

'You guys SUCK.” The
leader repeats as he shakes his head.

'Hey! I just got a new
pet dragon for my room! You guys
wanna see it?' Another robed brother grins as the other three give an
excited
cheer. Laughing about pets and new room items they leave the dark
leader alone
upon the fresh grave wondering silently what he did to deserve this.

With a grumble of defeat
he kicks teddy bear launching it
skyward before hiking up his robes and running after his brood with a
cry of
'Aww..man. HEY! Wait for me!'.

And for yet
another night, Qeynos is safe.