Slithering Sacrifice (part 1)
by Killjoy (c) 1998

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*WARNING* This series contains material such as violence, macro,
herpetophilia, ritual sacrifice and other cool things like that.
You have been warned. *WARNING*
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Jurond leaned back against his cell wall, looking around helplessly
at all of the others who were confined in the dungeon with him. "What
I suffer for the lust of money..." he said as she shook his head,
thinking back to the night he snuck into the temple, intent on
removing a few of the bobbles which the brotherhood of serpents were
rumored to posses. Who would have guessed that they would have had
their treasure room so well trapped.

Now he sits on a bed of straw, awaiting the fate which he knows only
too well is in store for him, for all of the other captives whisper
back and forth of the sacrifice. As night fell, the dungeon was filled
with the scent of incense, always burned before the night's rituals.
The scent caused many to panic and struggle with their chains or the
cell doors for soon the brotherhood would move to the dungeon and
select a few of their prisoners to be sacrificed.

Jurond had been sitting in his cell for three nights now, listening
to the cries of pain and fear from those unlucky enough to be picked
by the brotherhood, dragged kicking and screaming upstairs for their
unholy gatherings. As he sighed, leaning against the moss covered
wall, Jurond felt some thing moving across his leg. He looked down and
found a small snake slithering over him which he grabbed and began
to squeeze, feeling a odd sense of accomplishment in it's destruction.

As he crushed the life from it, the poor serpent released the contents
of it's bladder, a final act of defiance before it slipped into the
darkness of the eternal void. Jurond threw it's lifeless carcass at a
wall, trying to shake the foul smelling fluid off his hand to no avail.
Jurond wiped his hand across the leg of his pants and settled back
against the wall, envisioning the lush green fields of his home land
and the delicate hand which awaited his return.

Jurond's memories of home were soon interrupted as a wave of screams
and begging filled the air, the wails of the other prisoners making
him snap back to reality with a start. Jurond moved over to the door
and tried to look out between the bars, wondering who would tonight's
victim. As he watched, several red robed figures stepped in front of
his cell and a faint voice, cracked with age, spoke. "Ah... The thief
who tried to steal out most sacred relics. You will be a fine meal for
the god of scales."

Jurond looked wide eyed at the brothers and stepped back, moving to
press against the wall as the severity of his situation finally hit
him. One of the robed figures unlocked the door and pulled it open,
it's rusted hinges making a evil squeal. Once open, four of the
brotherhood rushed into the cell and grabbed Jurond, clapping chains
to his wrists and dragging him out, heading towards the stair well
for the night's activities.

Jurond kicked and fought desperately, trying to free himself from their
grasp as he was pulled into a large room filled with hundreds of other
robed figures, the great cult of the serpent was in full assembly
tonight. Jurond jerked at the chains which restrained him but, a fist
quickly found his stomach and left him hunched out in the arms of his
captors. The sound of a gong was heard in the distance as several
torches were lit, set ablaze in a pattern leading up to a large
brazier which began to snap and cracks, giving off billowing clouds of
yellow smoke.

Jurond panted, trying to regain the wind which was knocked out of him
a moment before as a figure stood atop a large rock carved to resemble
a cobra's head, "Brother.... Welcome to the sacrifice of the harvest
moon!" With his words spoken, a roar came from the gathering, cheers
and howls as the celebration began. The figure waved a hand and the
masses went silent, "Tonight is special for many reason... And as
such, we have a special opening to our gathering.

The figure waved and Jurond was dragged up onto the rock beside him,
"Look my brothers, this man entered our temple, violated out sacred
treasure trove and was caught carrying several of the artifacts left
to us by our fore fathers. For his crimes against us and our great
god, she shale suffer a fate most deserving..." A low rumble of
chatter hummed from the crowd as they tried to decide Jurond's
punishment.

The figure atop the rock waved his hand and the room fell deathly
silent once more, "Thief, for your crimes, you shall be given onto
our lord and may he take you into his coils through one of his own..."
With that said, the guards unchained Jurond and suddenly shoved him,
causing him to fall from the rock into the huge pit before it,
landing with a thump on a pile of dusty pillows and torn blankets.

Jurond got to his feet and quickly assess his position, he was now
in a arena style pit with two doors to opposite sides, embedded in the
worn stone walls. Jurond glanced about, searching for a weapon of some
type as the sound of the gong echoed through the room once more. With
that sound came the screech of chains and gear as on of the door
slowly raised. Jurond peered into the darkness, wondering what kind of
monstrosity lurked within it's depths and was soon answered as the
enormous head of a great serpent slithered out into the light, followed
by the cheers and howls of the brotherhood above.

Jurond backed up onto the pillows, in utter terror of the writhing
mass which slithered out from the bowels of the maze rumored to be
hidden beneath the temple. As the huge snake pulled it's self out into
clear view, Jurond noted it's length and coloration, it was a boa
constrictor, although much larger then he could believe, stretched out
to a unearthly length or 100 feet.

The serpent rose it's head up as his long pink tongue lashed out like
a whip, smelling the air and then looking straight at Jurond, a low
hiss rumbled from his throat, making the assembly of robed figures
surround the pit to fall silent, awaiting the actions as they stared
down. The gigantic snake began to move towards Jurond, it's long body
undulating with a perfect symmetry as it's head lowered, eyes locking
onto it's prey.

Jurond looked around desperately for a weapon and saw a large bone,
grasping it and turning to meet the great snake but, his actions came
too late for the head had already lounged past him and encircled him,
it's coils quickly following as they clamp about him like a vice,
nearly crushing him as they tighten. Jurond let out a cry as the
pressure force the breath from his lungs and all of his world went
dark as the cold arms of unconsciousness embraced him....
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This story was written for Scourge, a special coon with great fingers
whom Morphic enjoys holding tightly within her coils. I ended this part
at the most critical of times so that you'll be eager to read the next
part to see how it ends, sorry if this seems like I'm teasing...