NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: The Summoning
Somewhere in the capital, in an abandoned house just on the corner of the slum district, five hooded people have gathered. They all wear bone white masks to hide their identities from each other.
"Shall we begin?" Said one who wears a mask resembling a screaming ghost as it strides around the circle carefully examining everyone present.
"Everything seems to be in order, we can finally start the summoning." It then took a small amber stone from one of the many secret pockets lining its black robes.
Walking towards the center of the circle, the ghost mask placed the small amber on top of a circular altar. The light of the torches barely illuminates the dark room, giving it more an eerie feeling instead of providing light. One of the masked people; this time one who wears a goat mask, pulled a dagger from a sheath in its belt. Slowly and with utmost care, it proceeded to cut open it's right palm, making sure the blood dripping from it fell directly on top of the amber stone.
As droplets of blood fall on the amber stone, it quickly sizzles like water droplets dropped in a pan of hot oil. "Tis done" The goat mask proclaimed as he started to bandage his cut hand with a clean white linen cloth. Seemingly unperturbed, it walked back in its place within the circle.
The ghost mask started the incantation of the summoning. The deep hum of the spell reverberating throughout the dark room. One by one the masked people joined in the hum, first was the one who cut its hand; the goat masked, then followed by the dog masked person on it's right side, then the owl mask followed, and lastly as if rising to a crescendo, the lion mask bellowed a thunderous hum that finally completed the summoning spell.
With beads of sweat trickling from their foreheads, invisible because it's under the mask they are wearing, the masked people waited in silence and anticipation, shaking with fear... or is it excitement? Even they couldn't tell, because if their summoning is successful, they would have gained a powerful primordial servant, but if it failed, not only would they be killed by the summon, it may well destroy the very kingdom… if not even the world.
A small wisp of blue smoke started to swirl from the amber stone, slowly growing as it lazily rose in a spiral pattern, growing as it swirled. *Badump, badump* The heart beats of the masked people can be heard in the stillness of the dark room as the blue smoke continues to grow as it swirls, indicating that they were indeed successful in summoning a primordial… the only question is, can they control it?
Slowly the blue smoke started to condense, and formed into a shape... a humanoid shape, but with difference. As the form started to look distinct, the masked people also trembled with anticipation, all fear that they had at the beginning had changed into a feeling of excitement. "Ku,ku…" giggled the ghost mask, as it tried to suppress a cry of joy for the seeming success of the summoning.
The blue smoke continued to condense and take shape, which is by now can be distinctly assumed to be a female form. First thing they noticed is the height, it seems that it's standing at five feet high. The body structure is slim... but well toned, slowly the skin started to be less translucent and look more light and pale. The hair started to grow long, going down to those slender hips then started to give a pinkish hue and curling like a drill at the tips.
Almond eyes take shape, with golden irises now are clearly visible even in the darkness of the room. The face is truly a beauty to behold, a maiden in the bloom of her youth, yet undeniable power emanates from her very core. The masked people can only stare in awe at such magnificent beauty, but they were also frozen stiff in their places, unable to move, not because of any spells but by the terrible aura that the summoned being is radiating; calming yet terrible. From the back of the summoned being, two wings started to grow, with feathers white and pure as the first snows of winter.
"An Angel!!! We have successfully summoned an Angel!" Goat mask shouted with elation, all fears have been overpowered with joy of their success. Angels ranked highest among the primordials, their strength are said to be on the level of gods, they are almost impossible to be beaten. Only one person was successful in doing such, a High Balekon named Sinante Bluewing. Five hundred years ago, he defeated the Angel Tarmora during the Godsbane wars. A war where the Angel overlord Tarmora along with her primordial allies waged against humanity.
First it was dark, then slowly her eyes adjusted to the gloom... she can now faintly see five people wearing absurd looking clothes. At first she thought they were demons, but she realised that they were humans based on the mana they were emitting. "Must be masks" she thought "Not very good ones at that… does these people realise how silly they look? A goat… really? Pffft!" The Angel suppressed a giggle, which looked very cute to the masked people looking at her that you can almost swear they were blushing underneath the mask. Slowly but surely, her physical form is starting to solidify, and taking a more permanent state.
"This is truly a marvel to behold, never in my life have I dreamed of seeing something so glorious as this." The Lion mask told the one wearing the dog mask.
"Aye indeed!" Responded the Dog mask as it slowly reached for a hidden spell scroll from its cloak, just to be ready if things go south. Dog mask has always been the most cautious of the group and doesn't take chances on things that it is uncertain of. "Better ready than not, I always say" it muttered to itself.
Finally, the body of the Angel is finally completed, the summoning was a resounding success. "Speak thy name oh Angel and bow down to your masters who summoned you from the abyssal plains!" Ghost mask proclaimed as he took the amber stone and held it up for the Angel to see, showing her that it holds its essence in its hands and has the power to destroy her body on a whim.
"Foolish mortal for thinking I can be controlled… fufufu… they are in for a surprise then" the Angel thought to herself with a blank face so that these foolish mortals won't have any suspicions on what she plans to do. "They are all going to be dead before this day is over…" the Angel liked that idea.
"I repeat, tell us your name Angel and b…" Ghost mask suddenly ran out of breath for some reason, a puzzled look on its face as it looked at a hole in it's chest where its heart was. With a silent sigh, he collapsed dead even before he hit the floor. Before any of his companions could react or even realised what was happening, Lion mask's head flew in the air, a spray of blood gushing out of its neck.
Owl mask saw its stomach bursting and its intestine falling from the wound, he tried to grab them and put them back in. "This is not happening, this is not happening" Owl mask cried in disbelief, before he all he saw was the darkness of death.
Goat mask can only scream as his body was torn into eight pieces and his blood painted half of the room in crimson.
Dog mask, for all his caution, was barely able to chant the incantation to activate his powerful spell scroll when he felt his tongue get ripped from his mouth, and choked on his own blood dying from asphyxiation. All it took was three seconds for the Angel to kill her "masters".
"Hmmm, what's this… i feel a presence that I haven't felt for so long. A familiar feeling. I wonder how long my banishment lasted? Oh well, I have all the time in the world now. The Angel then took one of those absurd robes the masked people were wearing, the Dog mask was the one that is less damaged and less dirty.
"Fu fu, so you are in the south then, my dear Sinante, you will feel my wrath after what you did to me. I will hunt you even in the ends of the world!" With a grim face and inextinguishable anger, Tarmora steps out of the abandoned house into the city at night, looking once again at the stars in the sky after five hundred years.
Spreading her majestic wings, she flew into the sky, in the direction of her object of vengeance.
Thousands of miles south, on a fine morning after the incident at the capital, oblivious to what happened, Tusk Regnum nervously enters the classroom.