Hello everyone! Just a note that this is my first ever publicly displayed series, so comments and critiques are very welcome so I can improve future chapters :D
-succubass-the-panty-wizard
***
She was surprisingly calm for how much blood was pooled on the ground, some painted the walls a beautiful shade of pinkish red while more squished under her bare toes, like mud in its thickness. It made the whole room wreak of iron and salt despite the smoke that competed for her attention, although Cassandra found she was rather fond of the combination. The light of the fires danced in her peripheral, serving the lovely purpose to consume the temple walls and set the bodies that scattered the halls ablaze while the living suffocated.
But she doubted that there was anyone living left, except for the old coward crawling towards the main altar of the temple now. She felt absolute euphoria fill her as she walked up behind him. He whimpered and prayed to his gods despite her presence, touching the stone altar for the same beings she once served herself ...
He looked back at her when she laughed, mismatched eyes wide and full of fear while her own were black as coal and full of nothing but bloodlust. Not even rage was present as she lifted him by the front of his robes, laying him down on the very stone altar she'd desecrated long ago, climbing on top of him like an animal. He screamed and begged for his life, but she sheathed her blade in his throat without consideration for his pathetic pleading, gasping in delight as blood splattered her face upon removal of the razor sharp blade.
He gurgled as the realization dawned on him that he was truly going to die, wood panels falling from the ceiling as the fire grew hotter and stronger around them. Cassandra slipped her finger through the blood that dripped down her face, tasting its sweet metallic essence and feeling her body shudder in pleasure as the life left the priest's eyes-
Cassandra's eyes burst open from her dream as the frame of her bed rattled, sister Helen shaking her bed goodnaturedly to wake her up.
"Time to get up sleepy girl, we have grocery duty today." The blonde grinned as she tossed her friend the red snood they all wore to signify their faith.
She grunted, sitting up and straightening out her night dress before tucking her long black curls into the red cap. "At least we aren't cooking for fifty." she yawned, slipping out of her gown to put on the standard heavy red robes and sandals so that she'd be ready to leave, trading places once Helen was out of the bathroom to take care of her own grooming needs.
"So what do we need?" she asked around her toothbrush, moving on to wash her face as Helen searched for her shoes.
"Beans, peppers, corn, meat from the butchers... uhhh." she picked up the list that was on her bedside table and brought it close to her face. "A bunch of different spices and a few random items like bowls and a jug since we keep breaking them." she folded the paper and pocketed it as Cassandra shouldered the grocery bags they had brought to their rooms the prior night.
"That's not too heavy at least." she yawned, tucking stray hairs back into her habit as she waited by the door for her sister.
"Ha! Don't speak so soon, the father's might make us fill them with water as some kind of test." she shook her head, opening the door for the both of them so that they could leave and get on with their chores.
The insides of the temple walls met Cassandra with tolerance, her fellow sisters chiming short "hello's" and "good-morning's" to her with neutral expressions, keeping a wide enough berth so that she could in no way taint them with her presence. Cassandra had found out over the years that there were only a rare few in her village who didn't think she was the child of a demon, with her unnatural eyes being the biggest contributor to that.
Everyone claimed that they saw something different, from yellow with slits, to full black, to red or goat like pupils. No one who had told their horror story had ever given her sister Helen a straight answer, Cassandra herself only ever seeing a dark brown color, nothing unusual or even similar to what she was accused of.
But then again what did she know? She began to lose track of her thoughts as she exited the temple, preferring the space of her own mind to the judgemental stares of the town she passed through.
Cassandra always saw things differently, rather it be people that weren't there, futures that would often be muddled in her dreams, colors and sounds and smells that no one else could sense. But she ignored the creatures, the lights and portals and phantoms, all of it, just to avoid the beatings that would come from the Father's hand if she told them about any of it. For the longest time she thought she was just crazy, but once the visions started to come true after she'd had them...
A black cat jumped in front of her at that moment, a beautiful thing with bright yellow eyes. Helen tried to shoo it away when she was stopped by her Sister, Cassandra stooping down to gently scratch its head and have it arch into her hand.
"That is so much bad luck!" Helen whispered at her harshly as she tried to pull her away, the townsfolk grumbling at the display enough that she moved on without much fuss, the cat moving on quickly as well when a man threw a small stone in its direction.
"No more than i already have." she grumbled, staring daggers into the man so that his gaze was cast away and he stiffly moved on as though he'd seen a ghost. She smirked, knowing that the punishment she might get if he snitched to the temple would be worth it.
"Why are you such a glutton for punishment?" Helen echoed in a hiss as she paid for the peppers and beans they would need. "Just stay out of trouble and go get the meat from the butcher, she scares me."
"Yeah yeah." Cassandra adjusted the bag on her shoulder as she walked away, hearing the sigh of relief that her lack of presence brought. She'd use this opportunity to get the last of what she needed anyway.
She'd memorized the list, candles which were easy to get, an apple, which were just in season and growing in the temple garden, charcoal, which she had scrounged from the kitchen fire, and a heart...which she would smuggle from the butcher. She liked Cassandra and was always happy to hand her whatever she wanted under the table, although she'd always refused before, not willing to get into trouble like she was now.
"Hello Mrs. Tyler!" She called as she walked into the shaded stand where animal bits hung in various states of disassembly.
"Well hello there Cassandra, how can i help you today?" a woman with skin as dark as coffee beans asked her, tight coiled hair bouncing as she skinned a recently slain deer.
"I need about six pounds of ground meat, whatever you have most of today." she said before looking around to make sure there was no one else in the area. "I also need a uh... a heart?"
"A heart?" the woman stopped skinning the large hunk of meat in front of her to give a cute look. "Well darling you already have mine."
