The Hybrid Fateful Sorrow

The Sacrifice

[A week ago, Evening, at the bandit camp.]

The three bandits return to their camp with deer in their shoulders and torches in their hands. With their gathered food they will have a meaty dinner coming.

While walking back, each of them still has different emotions showing on their faces.

'Is it still safe to be in here?' thinking as they look at each other.

What they witness is something monstrous, something you won’t forget soon, still, they continued their path home, hoping to have warm food, and a discussion with their fellow to decide whether to risk their stay or risk leaving.

But when they were nearing their makeshift camp, Loyde wondered why their lamps in their camp weren’t lit, he rushed forward leaving the two a bit behind.

“Hey! Everyone, ” Loyde said as he waves his torches around.

He was near to their camp and Yet, the presence of his group can’t be felt.

While Loyde holds his torches, he walks closely with the light in front, as the light reaches their camp, it slowly shone to him the horror of what became of their band.

Their white makeshift camp is now covered with blood and entrails of their posting guards. Seeing his friend’s stomach and throat slitted, Loyde immediately vomits as he drops the deer he was holding. He looks back to his slow walking friends Aga and Cal that are still without a clue on what lies ahead.

He continues to check around, weapons and their food sack are still around, most of his band were killed right away, and it looks like they didn’t get a chance to fight. Inside the camp, one of his friends died with his neck sliced and heart stabbed probably while it was sleeping.

Everyone is dead, all were either cut to their neck or stabbed at their heart like it was done in swift like an assassin but messy enough to think about one of the cultists' performances.

As he holds his nose to cover from the bad smell, he jogs back to his friend noticing his companion standing weirdly. Soon, a sound of rustling in the grass was heard, a hard grip on his forehead bending, it upward making his face look at what’s above, it was the blue starry sky. 

With the sharp feeling in his neck that was being slightly pushed, as he holds his torches firmly.

“Who are you? Are you the one that killed my friends?” he firmly asked as he looked at Aga and Cal in the same state he was in.

With their sweaty face and their low and heavy breathing, they try to still as much as possible because of the blade that is kissing their necks.

“Loyde, what do we do?” Aga asked.

“Tsk, ” Cal disgruntled noise as he spits near one of the cultists.

A group of nine more people gets up on their hiding spot, even in the dark they walk easily and without noise, they can see clearly without the help of torches.

While the only thing the bandits can see is their long white robes with the daggers in their neck. 

Even while being surrounded, Loyde after he spies the rest of the cultists he tried to move his hand with the torch hoping to use it as a blunt weapon.

With a quick move with his hand along with his body and the speed reaction of the cultist. The torch falls to the ground as he swings his hand to stroke the head of the cultist, only to spread and splatter the blood on the cultist's face and robe.

Loyde yelled out with shock, as he quickly checked his neck for any open wound, there was none, only to realize the blood came to his severed hand.

“My hand was cut!” Loyde said loudly.

“Ah, Mikhail! The blood got on my robe, ” Ben said in a bit annoyed.

“Sorry about that Ben, ” Mikhail said as he flicks the blood away from his sharp short sword to the dirt.

“Well you did move, ” Mikhail added to Loyde who is still confused about what just happened

“Huh?” Loyde responded.

Before he could think, the old man Santi walked up in front.

“Highseer, ” as the cultist bowed and greeted him.

He grabbed Loyde by his shoulder as he spun him facing the two of his friends, Aga, and Cal.

“Who do you want to die the least?” the highseer said as he pointed his hand to the two.

“What?” Loyde confusingly asked.

While Aga sobs even more hearing his possibly imminent death, Cal calmly responded.

“Don’t choose brother, they are just playing with us, ” he said.

The highseer smirk, and he continued.

“If you don’t choose in the next 5 seconds, I will kill you, ” he said while he lifted his thin dagger as he pointed it in the back of his neck.

He quietly shrieked from the pointy edge of the blade pushing against the back of his neck, he quickly pointed his hand to Cal as he chose while avoiding his eyes to sobbing Aga.

“Him, please spare my brother Cal!” Loyde said as he avoids looking to Aga and maintaining his eyes on Cal.

“No, Loyde! Please don’t kill me!” Aga said as he glued his palm together, pleading to Loyde and the other cultist.

The Highseer Santi moves away to get closer to Aga bringing his thin dagger in his hand.

“Good choice, ” he said as he signaled Mikhail.

In quick succession, Mikhail quickly stabbed Cal’s neck, slicing it out.

“You killed him!? Why him?” Loyde said with his dazzled expression.

Cal scratches his neck with both of his hands grasping for air as he moves around. He fell to his knees looking at Mikhail that was about to give him another one in his stomach.

Mikhail pierced his shortsword to Cal’s abdomen as he grins while looking down at him.

Cal tried to speak with the blood spouting off "I’ll— ki... Ki... U..."

Aga’s dumbfounded look thinking he was spared was interrupted by Santi. 

Santi reaches his hand to lend him his dagger as he whispers to the scared Aga.

“Kill him, and I’ll bring you home, ” he whispered.

Aga’s eyes opened big as he stared at Loyde, understanding who he needed to kill.

While Loyde’s will was broken by the death of his brother, without hesitation Aga lunged at him, charging his body to push him to the ground. He yells out a cry while he pounds Loyde’s face as he clings his dagger to his fist.

Loyde struggles to ask why, while Aga continues, as he furiously stabs his chest and face, thinking that he almost died by this man’s hand. He continues stabbing for a while and stops in his eye, he turns his eyes to look at Santi, anticipating his freedom. He can see its expression, It wasn’t disgusted or mad but the opposite, it was smiling.

In front of him is an old man in his fifties, with the blood that has spattered on his white robe, he returned the dagger with Loyde’s eye that stuck on the blade.

He understood that the old man in front of him was the leader and their group is some kind of cult. 

The highseer looks directly at him as he speaks.

“You should be honored, as you will get a chance to meet him again, ” he said as he received his dagger back.

With the confused face of Aga, he asks.

“I can go home, right? And who will I meet?” he said as he slowly stood up.

“Your ignorance about him will be soon fixed, once we get home, to our humble sanctuary, ” the highseer said as he opened his body and spread his hands.

With that as if it were a cue, the followers at Aga’s back swiftly slice his Achilles’ tendons with their sharp daggers. He quickly falls on his knees and to the ground, before he can react a chain was put in both his hands and they drag him on the dirt.

He shouted in agony and sobs all the way, when the pain slowly subsided it was nearing its destination.

It was a well-hidden cave, it is still dark, but the moon shines well enough to see their entrance, he realizes what fate lies on him as soon as he hears the chanting and singing. 

"We’re here," the highseer said.

The man at the entrance can’t hide his happiness as he welcomes the leader, and everyone, with his smile. 

“Leader of the Destined, Santi Esparia, The High Seer, I am glad you came back alive and well, ” he said.

“Thank you, a proud servant, ” the highseer said. 

“With that joyful face of yours, I reckon you have met the destined knight?” he added.

“Yes Highseer, his wound is fully dressed as he rests on his bed, ” he replied.

“Ohohoho my, this day really was amazing, prepare a feast! Let’s have a little celebration, ” he said.

They entered the cave while Aga was sent to a holding cage. The highseer and his followers proceeded to eat at a long table, they dined and drank their wine with everyone, celebrating the return of their knight.

A growing disgust and fear can be seen on Aga’s face, as he looks around on his cage seeing the remains of the previous prisoner.