The Sacred Descendant. Part 1
A lonely woman in a white robe sat in a dark cell, illuminated only by one burning torch. It provided enough light to see her surroundings, but it still was pretty dark. All she realized was being locked in some kind of a dungeon, and her wrists handcuffed together in front, just below her waist. She had no idea how she got here, but none of that mattered anymore. All that bothered her now was the reason. Who brought her here and why? She could hear male and female voices in the distance, but what they spoke didn’t sound like talking. They were chanting. The spooky sound of it sent shivers down her spine. Those people definitely were members of some cult. Despite them being somewhere in the distance, she could still hear the words. She froze and listened. What they chanted sounded like some gibberish, a language that didn’t exist on Earth, and yet she somehow understood every word they said."Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.""In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."The woman shook her head frantically. How on Earth could she understand it? It’s an alien language no human could possibly know, maybe only those cultists did. But what does it have to do with her? It was a question she might never get an answer to. And they were most likely to use her as a sacrificial lamb for whatever entity they worshipped. At least the white robe she wore made her think that. In the medieval times, robes of this type were worn by people sentenced to death. So death was her fate, she was sure of it.The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She instantly turned her head to see three people in dark robes coming towards her cell. As the door actually consisted of metal bars, just like in prison cells, she could clearly see them. Judging by the height, all three were male. Their heads were hidden underneath the hoods, and their faces covered by masks with strange paintings on them. It looked like they had a faces with tentacles, and only their eyes were human. The one in the middle had a staff in his right hand with bizarre carvings and jewels in it.“There she is, Your Highness,” one of the men said.“We brought her here safe and sound,” the other man added.Their voices sound pretty much human, but the guy they addressed as ‘Your Highness’ said nothing. The woman inspected him with her eyes and concluded that he must be the high priest of the cult. He glided to her, grabbing the staff with his other hand, and the woman’s eyes instantly went wide. Horror washed over her.The priest’s left hand looked anything but human. Instead, he had several octopus-like tentacles undulating like snakes. They wrapped around the staff, holding it tight, while he kneeled before the woman and grabbed her chin, inspecting her.“Ah, yes, she’s perfect,” he hissed. “He will be very pleased.”The woman gulped. What were they going to do? Who will be pleased?“It’s time to go, my dear. He’s waiting for you in his chamber.”The two other cultists unlocked the cell and led her out. She wished she could resist, but her hands were cuffed together, and trying to fight was certainly not the best idea. These people were fanatic, and God knows what they could do to her if she tried anything stupid. So she had no other option but to obey and do what she was told.They led her into a large chamber illuminated by several torches and numerous burning candles, so it was pretty bright here. One of the men then removed her handcuffs. And just as she stepped through the doorway, the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her. She tried to pry it open, but it didn’t budge.She was trapped.The woman sighed and slowly walked back into the chamber, inspecting her surroundings. The chamber was round with stone walls and pedestals with candles placed everywhere. She had never seen so many candles in one room. The flames burned very brightly, creating warm and, she had to admit, a pleasant atmosphere despite being in a dungeon. A stone horizontal altar was located in the middle of the chamber where victims were placed in a lying position for sacrificial rituals. Then her glance fell on another doorway on the other side of the chamber, right opposite the door. This one had no door and was pitch black. She had no wish to explore it. Maybe only if she took one of the candles…Before she did anything, she a blood-chilling sound coming from the darkness of that doorway. She froze and listened, afraid to move a muscle. It sounded like a growl mixed with some strange clicking. Then she remembered the priest mentioning that someone was expecting her. Who was he talking about? Is it that thing in the darkness, whatever it is? It had to be the one, as there was no one else around, except for her and this unknown being.The woman trembled in fear, and her mind was creating images, one crazier than another. She had no idea what she was going to face, and that made her feel afraid even more. Unknown is what people are most afraid of, and this was exactly what she was dealing with. The unknown was killing her, and she wished it was over sooner, and then come what may.And soon her wish was granted. The growling sound grew louder, which meant the creature was moving towards the doorway. The woman stood in her spot, waiting. Her heartbeat increased multiple times. And then she finally saw it – a creature that could only be born from a nightmare; a creature no mortal human had ever witnessed. A bizarre mixture of an octopus, a dragon, and a human would be the most suitable description of the monster’s appearance. Its scaly body looked more or less human-like, but the head resembled an octopus with multiple tentacles, and membranous dragon-like wings folded behind its back. Its yellow eyes looked at the woman, and to her, it seemed like they were staring right into her soul.So this is what was expecting her. The cultists brought her here to give her to this creature as a sacrifice. She didn’t move, knowing there were no way to run and no place to hide. She just stood there and watched as the nightmarish creature approached her, extending its snake-like appendages to her…***“Damn!”Darla jumped in her bed and rubbed her face. She’d just experienced another nightmare. She couldn’t start counting how many times she’d seen this terrifying dream. And it always was the same, maybe only with minor changes. But the cultists and that bizarre creature were always there. Huffing, she got out of her bed and checked the time. The clock showed 10:00 a.m. She had enough time to dress up and have breakfast before her friend Lucy arrived to her place. Both of them were going to the city of Arkham, and each had their own purpose for that. Darla was going to study there, and Lucy was eager to meet some guy named Derek she’d been video chatting with. Darla didn’t like the perspective of her friend getting intimate some random guy she’d met online, but that’s exactly why Lucy was going to Arkham. And she was stubborn as a mule.Lucy arrived at Darla’s place around twelve, mere few minutes after Darla had finished eating.“Hey, Darla, how’s going?” Lucy asked merrily. She eyed her friend with slight concern. “Are you alright?”“Hi, Lucy,” Darla replied. “Yeah, I’m ok. I just had another nightmare last night, so I slept quite poorly.”Lucy frowned.“Hmm… is it the same again?”Darla nodded. It was no pleasure to remember her creepy dreams.“It’s somewhat weird… I mean seeing the same dream many times in a row,” Lucy mused aloud. “But a dream is just a dream. Try not to think of it, okay?”“I’ll try,” Darla said and sighed. She had no other option to choose. “Alright, let me go and collect my stuff. I’ll be right back.”She went to her room and opened both her suitcases to check whether she packed everything she wanted. She might have forgotten something in a hurry, but it seemed everything was in a perfect order, so she zipped them up.“Darla, are you ready to go?” Lucy’s voice echoed through the apartment. “What’s taking you so long?”Darla grabbed her suitcases and backpack and quickly walked towards the door.“Yeah, I’m ready. I was just checking whether I have all I need. I’ll be away from my apartment for a while, you know.”“Sure. I’ve got my things ready, too. Let’s go.”Darla was excited. She had enrolled into the Miskatonic University in Arkham, and to her joy, she’d been accepted. The problem was that it was one hour drive from Boston to Arkham, and Darla didn’t like the perspective of waking up at dawn, or, in winter season, even before dawn, so she made the best decision to live in the dormitory and come back home on weekends and holidays. She gave her keys to her paternal cousin who agreed to look after the apartment. Darla lived in a safe district, but she thought she would feel safe if someone made sure her place is safe and sound during her absence. Darla felt a bit nervous – new town, new University, new surroundings… She had no idea how her life would be like, but at least Lucy would be near for a week, so Darla won’t be totally alone there.Each of them owned a car. It’s always better to be independent in every aspect, Darla thought. After all, she and Lucy had their own life and interests, and not always they were the same, like the reason Lucy went to Arkham.“Are you sure that guy is trustworthy?” Darla asked. Lucy crossed her arms and smirked.“Who? Derek? I’m pretty sure he is,” she replied, rubbing her hands in anticipation. “I can’t wait to see him.”“You said you had sexy video chats with him,” Darla said. “Is it really what I think it is?”Lucy laughed.“Oh, yeah, baby, it sure is. I can’t start counting how many times we’ve seen each other get rid of our clothes, then pleasure ourselves, and finally climax on camera. That was freaking hot, let me tell you. And as this video chat thing has become boring, I decided to finally go and meet him in person.”Darla’s face twisted in a grimace of disgust.“Ugh, that’s nasty,” she huffed.“And why is that?” she asked, tilting her head. She looked at her friend as if she’d just fallen from the moon. “Seriously, Darla, you need a boyfriend. Why everything connected to sex disgusts you? And you’re still a virgin, aren’t you? Or maybe you decided to keep celibacy for the rest of your life?”Now it was Darla’s turn to smirk slyly.“And I don’t understand why you’re so bothered by the fact that I’m still a virgin. Yes, I am a virgin, and a proud one, if you must know. I don’t feel I need a boyfriend, at least for now, and I certainly am not going to give myself to some random guy. And I kindly ask you not to interfere in my private life. It’s only up to me to decide what to do with it.”“Ok, ok.” Lucy raised her hands in defeat. “Now let’s go, otherwise we’re wasting time here.”The girls hopped into their cars and drove to Arkham. Just like it said in Google Maps, the journey took around one hour. Lucy had planned to stay in Arkham for a week, and she’d booked a motel room for herself. While she went there after the arrival to the city, the first thing Darla did was going straight to the Miskatonic University. She had an appointment there at 2:00 p.m. to arrange all the paperwork, and after that she went to the dormitory to get the keys to her room. Luckily, the room was meant for one person, and Darla couldn’t be happier. Sleeping place is something she would like to have just for herself. It felt like private space which she hated sharing with anyone else. Well, except for the loved one she didn’t have.The room looked pretty cozy – a single bed, a desk with a chair, a large closet, a bathroom with a shower cubicle, a washing machine, and a toilet, and even a small fridge. Darla smiled and began unpacking. She tried to pick the most necessary stuff to take with her, but she ended up taking her almost entire wardrobe. But, on the other hand, she was going to live in this dormitory. But as she planned to go home every weekend, she could always bring back something she didn’t want and take what she needed instead.As she finished with arranging her stuff, she walked back to the main building of her new University and went straight to the library. Creating her account there was one more important task to do, as she definitely was going to borrow books during her studies. Darla looked around, mouth agape. The library seemed so huge, it had two floors. Well, the University building looked impressive, both from inside and outside, so no wonder they installed such a large library. And considering the fact that the studies began in a week, Darla had all the time to get introduced to her new surroundings – the city, the University, the people around her. And she decided to begin her acquaintance right here, in the library.Darla’s head felt like spinning. She didn’t know where to start. Her glance ran from shelf to shelf until it stopped at the mark that read Mysticism and Occultism. Darla had never been interested in these things, and yet she felt herself being pulled to this shelf and take a look at the offer. She obeyed this unknown power and walked towards the shelf and looked at the books. The amount of literature on this theme was enormous, but the book called The Great Old Ones and Their Cults attracted her for some reason. Darla took the book from the shelf and walked to the nearby desk to sit and read. The things the book contained were terrifying. It described the creatures no mythology in the world had ever described, and the cults that worshipped them, committed gruesome acts. Human sacrifices were an important part of their theology, and what they did to the bodies was too sickening to imagine.Despite the descriptions of the bloody acts, Darla couldn’t stop reading. These texts had a strange effect on her, as if holding her tight with pliers. The book also contained illustrations of several sigils and markings, and also images of some deities. Things like these couldn’t possibly exist on Earth. They all resembled shapeless blobs with a multitude of eyes, mouths, and tentacles. But one of them stood out of the rest, and just as Darla’s glance fell on its image, her eyes went wide.“Oh my God…” she whispered. “It can’t be…”It was the same creature she had seen in her dreams. Cthulhu, the Great Old One. According to the description in the book, this being sleeps in the sunken city of R’lyeh. And when the stars are in the right position, the city will surface, and Cthulhu will awake from his sleep. When that happens, all humanity will delve into insanity, and the world as people knew it will die and be remodeled anew. The only thing that doesn’t go together is that Cthulhu is supposed to be of gigantic size, and the creature she’d seen in her dreams was only slightly larger than the average human. Darla flipped the pages, looking for more information, until she stumbled on the beings called ‘Cthulhi’, or, in other words, ‘Star Spawn of Cthulhu’. These creatures looked exactly like the Great Old One, but are of far smaller size. Darla read the entire description and nodded to herself.It wasn’t Cthulhu himself she’d encountered in her nightmares. It was one of these ‘Star Spawn’ things.Unbeknownst to herself, Darla had spent almost the entire day in the library. She’d read the whole book, from the first till the last cover. As she checked the time, she mentally whistled in surprise. It was almost 7:00 p.m. She quickly put the book back to the shelf and left the library. Darla wanted to get to the dormitory as soon as possible and just rest. She could watch some cool movie or read a book, surely a more pleasant one than the tome she’d just gone through. As she arrived to her room, she threw the shoes off her feet and just flopped on the bed. She wasn’t sleepy, but she totally needed rest. Peace and silence were so welcome at this moment, and Darla realized she felt pretty tired. But before she closed her eyes, the loud ringing of her phone startled her. She huffed angrily and picked up to see who decided to disturb her at this hour.She wasn’t surprised to see Lucy’s name on the screen. That girl surely would find a reason to party and hook up.“Hey, Darla, where are you now?”“I’m at the dormitory, just returned from the library,” Darla replied, yawning. “What about you?”“I’m at the motel with Derek. He has also brought his best friend Josh with him,” Lucy said.“He has brought another guy with him? Why?”Lucy laughed.“Because I told him I arrived to Arkham with a friend, so please, be a dear and join us. You have nothing else to do anyway before you start your studies.”Darla wanted to protest and refuse the offer, but she felt concerned about her friend and didn’t want to leave her alone with two guys. After all, Lucy had met this Derek for the first time. She had no idea who he was and what was on his mind. Video chats are nothing, empty and pointless game, especially if it is all about sex. So she got up from her bed and prepared to leave. Lucy had told her the exact address, and off she went, hoping for the best.
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