{Foreign Rituals}: Tower Of Worship, Part 3

There were certainly many things that made the spiralling tower uncomfortable to navigate. The hall when you entered being completely silent was one. And as Micah had guessed, there was a single slim spiral staircase ascending higher up the tower. The thing that had them all on edge, including the two former dark guild members was the eerie stillness. It wasn't the silence in the stillness that bothered them. If it had been only that, they could have slept here without feeling any different. No, it was the unmistakable bloodlust looming in the tower. Not bloodlust directed at them, but as if it was mixed in with the air itself, just one natural part of this environment. None of them had come across such a feeling before, and to Richard, this meant only one thing.

"Blood magic. It has to be. I have never encountered anything that gives of this amount of uneasiness. This kind of bloodlust I can only imagine is magical in origin. We should tread carefully from here. Blood magic belongs to the forbidden, the forgotten kind of magic." His aura of gentleness was gone. What had replaced the cheerfully strange money-hungry man was a stoic man on a mission.

"Richard, if what you say is true. I worry greatly for these kids who are supposed to be here. We need to hurry, I assume they are gonna be on the top floor."

"Can you not see through these walls still?"

Richard simply shook his head slightly. He wasn't as chatty as before, his aura grew darker by the second for only he understood the madness one would need to wield blood-magic. "I can not. As from outside, my Gods-eyes can't see through this tower. I don't know why, but my guess is the corrupt magic revolving around it is also acting as a barrier of sorts."

I suppose that makes sense. If they are practising blood-magic here, they wouldn't desire prying eyes upon them." Micah felt the sickening feeling return. It wasn't hard to imagine what the kids are being witnesses to.

"Let's go. We shall not delay any longer." With Micah in the lead, they ascended the tower slowly as to not arouse suspicion. They would need to do this floor by floor if they could.

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After ten minutes of walking, they came upon the first floor. As the last step ended they now stood in a vast room, many times bigger than the first floor. Midnight-black pillars holding up the roof several meters up, tables set up in intervals between the pillars. The path in between each row of table and pillar lined with a dark-red carpet. Though that wasn't what caught their attention.

"The stench, blood. What a heavy odour." Sorana grimaced and displayed genuine loathing for the first time in a while. "Look at the tables, is that blood?" She pointed at the various bowls on the tables, various sizes, most filled with a red liquid.

"What kind of sick cult have we encountered?" Micah had to fight to keep his breakfast down. He could see it vividly. You don't get this much blood from only a few victims. The images of hundreds of people being drained of blood playing in his head. His aura, his magic power started to leak out as his anger spiked.

"Boss, calm down. You can't do that here. You'll expose us immediately."

"Gajeel, check around if anyone's here. We need to calm him down." Richard's role as the unofficial second head of their group took charge and acted swiftly. He grabbed Micah's shoulders and pulled him in close to look into his eyes. He spoke calmly but also with haste as to not allow Micah's magic to explode out and expose them.

"Boss, look at me. Calm your breathing. I think these walls are enhanced enough to have blocked your leaking magic for now, but if you continue, they will notice." His grip tightened around Micah's shoulders, he held him in place as to allow time for his boss to calm his mind.

"I-I'm fine now. Thank you, Richard." He breathed in and out and waited for his heart rate to decrease. "I almost lost myself to anger, I just couldn't rid myself of the images. They were so vivid."

"Let it go. Think no more of it, you must remain fierce but calm through the rest of this."

"There's no one here on this floor. We're all alone." Gajeel came walking back with hands in his pockets. He wouldn't let it show, but his nails were digging so deep into his skin that he punctured his palm. His rage was under relative control, in comparison to Micah. But, nonetheless, he was beyond furious. Pray for the ones on the receiving end of that fury.

"Let's continue. I'm okay, and we still shouldn't slow down." Micah tried pushing the images back, but after many failed attempts he decided to power through it and deal with the damage to his physique afterwards. He could worry what this had done to him on a later date, right now there were kids who might not get to see tomorrow. He wouldn't fail them, he wouldn't!

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They continued up, hastily making their way up the spiral stairway. The silence that had been their constant eerie companion, always watching, never acting, was starting to dissipate. It was slowly being drowned out by a humming sound. Clearly human in origin, as they listened closely. Mixed in among the humming were words they didn't understand, but Richard knew enough to recognize what this sounded like.

"It's a ritual. The choir-like humming, syncing up with the speaker. I have only ever encountered this when Brain used to hold rituals. All failed, but it's unmistakable the same vibe."

The group nodded and picked up the pace. They reached the top floor as they climbed the final step, and they were met with a dimly lit corridor. Candles, hanging in intervals, the fire calmly swaying back and forth adding to the uncomfortable feeling. At the end of the corridor stood a wide door, blood-red, and carved into it was the design of a ferocious-looking dragon.

"That carving..." Micah whispered unintentionally. He stepped forward without thinking as he couldn't tear his gaze from the design on the door. He cursed his ever-improving senses as his eyes caught the carving on the door in detail despite the distance.

"Not again," Richard jumped up and grabbed his boss and pulled him back, ducking behind a corner of another corridor leading elsewhere. "What's gotten into you?" He wanted to smack Micah awake but was afraid of it being heard by the enemies.

"That dragon. On the door, I recognize it, it's unmistakable. I saw it there, in the cave, when I fought the four rogue mages."

"What? What are you talking about? Every dragon looks the same, right, and plus, it's dimly lit here. Your brain just isn't fully functioning right now, boss." Sorana hadn't been in that chamber, but Richard had. He glanced over the corner at the door.

"It is remarkably similar. The eyes and jaw, the body, even the carving design. I think the boss is telling the truth. I think it is the same."

"I'm telling you it is. These bastards have connections to those bandits." His eyes lit up in realization. "Shit! It has to be. The children! They were gonna take them here, they were gonna fill up those bowls."

"They..." His mind started to spiral, the vivid images of kids cut to pieces and served in bowls. He couldn't control it anymore, magic power fueled by his ever-rising hatred descended on the tower like a God striking down the sinful mortal. His gaze darted back and forth so fast his vision went blurry. It locked steadfast on the little shivering girl beside him. Yukino hadn't ever been in the presence of such a powerful outburst of pure magic, her body reacted with instinct as she backed away slowly.

"THEY WERE GONNA SACRIFICE YUKINO!!" A blinding light erupted like a volcano forcing away the darkness, making it cower in front of his faithful light. The candles were blown out by the incredible force summoned by his outburst, the humming quieting down and Richard cursed noiselessly as he understood Micah couldn't be stopped any longer.

"I'LL KILL THEM!!" The ground broke apart as he had already appeared by the door. He pulled his fist back and slammed it into the beautifully designed door and it completely blew apart. Thousands of pieces of the door flying into the sacrificial chamber.

"MONSTERS!! NO MERCY!!" He watched with demon-like red eyes at the hundreds of robed figures standing around a large runic symbol on the floor. The man in the middle of the runic symbol stared with shock at Micah, not believing the insane magic power coming off him. It surpassed anything he'd felt before.

"INTRUDER, KILL HIM!!" The cultist closest to the door jumped at Micah with a sword brandished in his hand. He took a swing, only for it to pass through the intruder.

"What!?" Before the confusion could settle, Micah slammed his palm into the man sending him crashing against the back wall faster than most could perceive.

"Richard, Sorana, Yukino, Gajeel. Do not hold back, I will take on the one in the middle. Take care of the others. These demons deserve no mercy, none, annihilate them!"

"Your wish is my command, Boss." Sorana walked over with some pebbles swirling around above her palm. Gajeel removed his hands from his pockets and they transformed into bladed weapons.

"Tonight we will summon a red moon." Richard's eyes glowed a vicious yellow as pieces of the door started bending and melting in strange ways.

"Go!" Micah spoke the word that would end the life of many.

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End