The Long-Forgotten Temple  part 1 and 2

10 years prior

High up in the mountain to the north in the forgotten forest of Ivory Ocelot, stood a long-forgotten temple that had been lost to ages passed, for the forest had swallowed the great hallowed halls, the sacred steps, the golden pools, the once great statue depicting the once great race of the Lamb! But there in the center chamber stood a group of Ten mighty statues while little lambs huddled together frozen in time. But as the shiny sun rays crept up from those darkened halls, the light touched the stone that began to crack!

Meanwhile in Current time

Day 2

[Hey mike!!…. Mike!] yelled a young adventurer's girl.

[What! What do you want Nicole!] replied mike to the you lass

[ Are we really about to go check out that creepy temple up in the

Ocelot Timberlands?] asked Nicole worriedly

[Yes! We have to... You know we already accept the guild quest to go check out what is in there… or at least come back after scooping out the places… I know you're worried about going into the unknown, but you know a job like this rarely comes! Normally the people who discovered it would get the first dibs to scope the places out...] replied Jack who replied before Mike had a chance excitedly.

[ I know this is a chance in a lifetime…That we could become rich overnight or become super strong by finding some long-lost artifact… but is it really worth the risk? You said it yourself, it's unusual for someone who discovered it first to pass it on to someone else… Something just doesn't sit right with me... Also, why would the guild give this quest out to someone like us? Were only a D rank party!] replied Nicole shakenly

[Look, Nicole, in life you have to take risks in order to get stronger. Besides from the description that was given to us, it seems like the temple was used to worship some sheep god many moons ago… a long-forgotten god shouldn't worry you. Especially a god of "sheep's" HA, HA what it's going to do? Baa us to death HA!] replied Mike with much mockery

[Silence, Mike! You shouldn't mock a god like that… even an old forgotten one!] replied Barn

[Na! I agree with mike!] replied Melissa boldly before continuing after a pause; [Why should we be scared of a god that's probably long dead! Huff! Why should we humans fear a weak god! A god who couldn't even protect it people!]

[Umm. You know] said Nicole nervously while twitching before saying [ should a saint like you really be saying that about the gods? And on another note, do you think the legend is true?]

[What? You mean that old bedtime story our parents used to tell us? The one where the shepherd King cursed the world? Don't tell me you actually believe that old fairy tale? And also, I can mock any god I want but the god of the "sun" —--] replied Melissa in a mocking fashion.

[Shush! We are here! Get ready to enter those darken gates!] said Mike with all seriousness.

Meanwhile back at the farm

[ Lanthios did you finish cleaning the barn? Those poops aren't going to clean themselves!] yelled the boy's father

[Yes! Father, I did but… Umm, old Betsy is acting weird. In fact, all the sheep in the pen are… they seem to be staring at her… as if waiting for something? Is she going into labor soon?] asked the boy curiously

When he heard this, the boy's father became increasingly worried, but he would not say why… instead he told the boy. [ Boy, if the sky turns to fire immediately come get me! Then stay inside and don't come out, do you understand!] said the father sternly.

[Yes! Father] replied Lanthios

But as the boy finished his reply, the earth shocked and rumbled! Scores of birds of the forest all took flight at the same time! It was as if they were fleeing something… escape something… As the father told the boy to run, he looked up to see… the sky was on fire! And not just any fire… No… It was burning in scarlet gold!

Meanwhile back in the temple

As the sky burns with orange light the crow swarms in abundance to give their song, while the ravens chirps in tune… and while they sing, an ancient shepherd standing by a crepted altar said:

[while how nice… O! How perfect of all the saints to come! It had to be a believer of the sun god! O! How I delight in the irony! And a young virgin to… I couldn't ask for a better sacrifice to pave his way!]

And while she celebrated, the sheep around her opened wide to laugh with her, with their blackened tongues and multi eyes that glowed a sinister red!

[Cough. Cough... Why are you doing this…] ask Melissa as she hangs on the altar naked and afraid, while her male companions lay dead on the floor whose corpses are being devoured by hideous looking sheep. While her one female companion, Nicole was being held in a cage forced to watch Melissa's predicament.

[Ha! You ask why! Don't you sacrifice my kind yearly to your "god"! Don't you kill my kind to eat… And yet! You still have the audacity to ask me why? But since you want to know so badly, I will enlighten you before you die! I will use your saintly power, your blood, your body, your bones, your soul! I will use everything of you! For you where the last ingredient, needed… Mahaha!] yelled the "dark" ancient shepherd.

[Ingredients needed.] thought Melissa when a sudden bulb lit up in her head and said [It was you… You were the one to inform the guild! You brought us here!]

[ha-ha! It was easy. You humans were always the most stupid yet most clever species in the war… O! But how I hate your kind the most! Your arrogance rivals that of Elves, while your greed devours even the greediest of dragons. Ah! Looks like the time has come... Time to send you on your way!] said the shepherd

[But wait what about Nicole! Can you please at least let her go, she is innocent!] pleaded Melissa

[BA! Innocent! None of you are... For you made "him" lose his "light"! And for such an act it is only fair I return the favor your race has done to mine! She will be giving to the goblins as trade goods as your ancestors have traded my sisters for your own sick uses! I'm sure they will break her mind…But hey it's not all bad... At least she gets to see history in the making! Mahaha!] replied the dark shepherd with fantasy glee. But when Nicole heard this her blood turned ice cold, for she knew what goblin did to women in their "care".

[Now then say goodbye to yourself! dark ritual, saint storage!] yelled the dark shepherd as she started her ritual that set the altar ablaze! As Melissa stared frighteningly at the dark portal below her, she felt invisible hands crawl up and down her tender white body… as she continued to stare, she saw what looked to be a giant goat head or sheep she couldn't tell which one, but it was hideous, malformed and ugly!

As its mouth enclosed her body, she could smell the scent of thousands of dead corpses! She could feel thousands of tiny invisible tongues licking her up and down! As the mouth manifested more, she could see the hundreds of poor souls that had been sacrificed to it before… and she could tell they were once fellow saints like her… fellow saints who are forever doomed to be cut off from their god! Terrified Melissa pissed herself and screamed as loudly as she could, when! Slam! The mouth was shut for ever more, with a Baaaa!

Meanwhile back at the farm

Terrified at the realization of what was about to happen, the father ran to the house to grab his sword! For he knew what he had to do… But as he approached the sheep pen… the once docile sheep all turned from Betsy to look at the man who they felt was intruding on something sacred. The man looked them in the eye and said [You... Damn vermin! You are nothing but food to feed our bellies, nothing but flesh to sacrifice to our gods! You will never get back your past glory! Give up for we shall never let you have it!]

Hearing these blasphemous words coming from their "jailer" the sheep couldn't hold back any longer and jumped at the man… But what could a bunch of lvl 1 to 5 sheep even do to a farm master in the 50s... It wasn't even a fight but pure "slaughter". For corpses laid asunder, while blood pours out like fountain-est rain!

As the master walked, he crushed bone beneath his feet… crunch…crunch... As he continued the slaughter with the blood dripping from his clothing… crunch… he stomped on crying heads and mourning eyes… crunch… he tore open wombs and spilled guts… crunch… with one last crunch he arrived at Betsy… with pleading eyes she looked to him for mercy... With pleading eyes, she looked at her stomach.

[I'm sorry… old girl... I really, I'm… but I must do this… you know I have to... For if "they '' find out I let the story true… it won't just be my life they will take…] said the farm master with a single tear running down the right side of his face. For even knowing what he had to do didn't lessen the pain of Betsy's memory flashing in his eyes.

But knowing what has to be done, he lifted up his sword and chopped clean Betsy's head! As her head rolled onto that once green grass floor, she now laid with eyes wide open, staring at her belly. The master then trusted his sword into her belly and ripped the child right out of the womb! He then held it up onto the world... No onto the sky… then yelled so loud that gods could clearly hear him!

[It's dead! It's dead! The child you wish to rule the world is dead! Mahahaha! Your children will forever be slaves to the races of the world!] yelled the master as he quickly lost his mind!

But little did he know… another sheep was giving birth... A sheep he had hidden away, a sheep he had forgotten about… a sheep that lay hidden in a basement dwelling… lock it chain it screamed… locked in chain it cried! While its family outside were being slaughtered… a golden light crept up from the basement window….

A few moments earlier

As Lanthios ran into his house to hide like his father had instructed him to, he happened to notice the door leading to the basement was open… curiously he approached the door... And as he looked down into the dark stairs, he felt a strange magical pull. A pull that he felt was telling It told him to go down! And as he approached the bottom, he saw the most beautiful sheep he had ever seen in his life!

For this sheep wasn't your normal sheep! For she had shepherd blood running through her veins! {check comment at the end for her picture} But as he stared at her she reached out to Lanthios holding a baby wrapped up in cloth! A baby with fur that shined scarlet gold as the burning light outside hit it {story cover picture}. A baby whose eyes glowed like two bright scarlet suns! And as Lanthios stared into the child's eyes he felt like he was looking into the star of the universe all at once…