"Bring in the slaves!" <Man at arms>
Within the castle 50 slaves wearing scraps of cloth just enough to cover themselves are lead, dirtying the carpets they tried upon with their bare feet.
A look of anguish rises on most of their faces and those without these looks have dead eyes believing the end has already come.
They are led by their knight escort into the deep recesses of the castle until they come to their destination, a magnificent great hall that most if not all the slaves had never seen the like before, and as of this moment would never see again.
They were pushed and manhandled around the hall until all of them were forming 3 separate rings with the smallest at the centre.
Beneath their feet, a floor of solid stone etched with a mosaic pattern which shone lightly as they stood upon it.
"We are gathered here today, and pay homage to those who are about to die... in thanks for the great gift for which we are about to receive" <King >
A man standing on a balcony overlooking everything dressed extravagantly in a velvet red regal cape, and golden short staff encrusted with jewels spoke to the entire room offering words of thanks and condescending condolences upon the slaves.
"With your very life essence, we shall perform that ancient rite, calling forth our nation champion and saviour. As your souls cross the silver skies they shall be the key that opens the doorway to another world" <King >
The slaves all began trembling knowing full well that once this king's longwinded speech ended the mages standing a ways further back from them would complete the chant they were speaking softly deploying their magic and killing everyone here as fuel for their spell.
"Enjoy the time you spend with the Great Goddess until she sends your souls back unto us" <King >
"""""Wiotuho tuhoeru purvaneruro urfu mukhnrg vaneru koukhulul upurn tuhoeru fueruvan tuur saukhvaeru ururo vanurrould furourm koukhulukhmioturg, oho groeruukhtu hoerurour derusaerunkod ukhnd sahourvaneruro usa vaniotuho rgururo vaniosadurm""""" <Mages >
The king's speech having ended early the last few chants became audible but after the last word is spoken the etching upon the floor lights up with a pale blue light dazzling all who look upon it, until the pale blue begins to shift turning into a poisonous purple.
The slaves still standing in rings stare in wonder at what is transpiring until they all begin to double over clutching their stomachs a look of worry upon their faces.
Some clasp their hands to their mouth as if they feel the intense need to vomit
The spells' colour continues to change colour, as more and more of the slaves fall to the ground and cease all movement looks of pain frozen on their now lifeless faces.
The spell colour changes again to a crimson red with a black mist, until it draws up forming almost a cone like a flower bud about to bloom, the bodies that once lay upon the ground are now missing, swallowed up by the massive spell.
The spell buds begin collapsing inward upon themselves until they have curled enough for the tops to be touching the ground once again before snapping open revealing a set of golden shining lights like seeds contained within its depths.
As the spell begins to fade, new characters are strewn on the floor appearing to be written in blood or crimson ink where the flower petals once lay, the golden light coalescing till the forms of humans take their place.
"The summoning is complete, Welcome Heroes from another world, we bid thee welcome to the Kingdom of the Watusta Dynasty" <Robed Man>
The slaves' lives having been used up in their place now standing at the centre of the three rings that once formed around them are 6 humans 3 males and 3 females all looking around bewildered at the sights before them.
All but one, one of the women of the group is not looking around the room but instead down at the floor, eyes transfixed upon the crimson characters scrawled there.
Conversations begin flowing between the two parties as those summonsed question why they are here, how it happened...
The Kingdom side inquires about the hero's names, ages, races, and if they have any powers.
"That's enough!!!!" <Hero Woman>
The one among them all who had been silent standing there in shock all this while finally screams out head raised high as if she were cursing the gods up on high themselves.
The surrounding people all now quiet down in shock as all eyes turn to the lone female hero.
"Just how exactly, did you summon us?" <Female Hero>
"Well throughout ancient summoning magic of course"
One of the leaders among the mages answers with pride in his voice.
"And just how many lives had to be sacrificed! To conduct this summoning of yours to bring us here?" <Female hero>
The room reaches a new level of silence as if all noise has been stolen away.
The summonee's are silent having just found out that lives were sacrificed in exchange for their being here which dampens the mood and doors their spirits, the kingdom side meanwhile is bewildered as to how their great spell was analyzed so quickly and as to why this Hero should care if slaves were sacrificed to bring them here,
'Bam!!!'
After the proud magician stepped forward and started to explain the female hero swung her arm and sent him flying through the air till he crashed into the wall creating an impact crater and remaining embedded there.
The surrounding knights and mages took up arms against the hostility, meanwhile, the female hero lowered her hips and took a stance like she was about to draw a long blade from its sheathe.
Their first moments in this new world were bloody, and their next few moments were going to become bloodier still.
As the Kingdom of the Watusta Dynasty would feel the repercussions of their summoning for years to come.
Merry Grand New Year Everyone, hope 2024 is treating you well and all your resolutions haven't been broken just quite yet ;)
Doing a dual sided chapter release this week for an interlude chapter as I admit new years and the return to regular work has me just a bit behind schedule.
Hope you all enjoy this interlude, and don't worry only 2 more hero summoning left on the docket before I stop writing them :p (for now hahaha)