The Orion Project (Rewrite) (indefinite hiatus)

Chapter 20

Devon awoke to an unfamiliar sight. Grass tickled the back of his neck as he sat up. The sky was cloudy and foggy, the sun was no where to be seen. He pushed himself to his feet, scanning everything around him. It looked like he was standing at the center of a town or city. There was a large castle in the distance with spiral shaped towers and walls that made it seem like an old stronghold.

Someone walked past him and he moved aside. He turned to them as they continued to walk down the empty streets. Their face was obscured behind a hooded veil and their robes skipped across the ground. Their arms were pointed inward with their hands tucked away in the sleeves. Their robes did not stand out to Devon in any way, he assumed they were some kind of religious follower of some kind. The black and red design was odd though.

They turned to him, pointing to the castle. Devon gave them a questioning look as they continued. Devon blinked and the person was gone. He tried to find them until he spotted them at the very edge of the town. He raced after them, noticing the state of the town. It was near perfection. Nothing was damaged or destroyed, nothing seemed to be out of place, and nothing indicated where the townspeople went.

"Hey! Wait up!" He shouted after them.

The figure ignored him and continued their hike to the castle. Devon slowed to halt for a moment when he saw them halfway up the staircase to the castle. It was surrounded by tall rock formations that seemed like towers themselves. He climbed the stairway, making it halfway when the figure entered the main gates.

Devon gulped down a mouthful of air as he leaned against the side of the gate, catching his breath. He only just realized how big the castle was up close. The main gates towered over him, easily seven to eights stories up. The main courtyard of the castle held its own town within it, and still he did not see any sign of anyone. The figure was waiting for him at another, equally large, gate. They slowly faded into the shadows of the inner walls as Devon followed.

"Hey! Where are we? Where are you going?" He questioned.

        He finally exited the shadowy entrance and he entered a large circular room. Torches suddenly sprang to life with a purple flame dancing atop them. The light made Devon uneasy and he tried to gather his magic. He became worried when nothing happened, no rush of wind cradling him, no pulsing of power flowing through him. A low, rumbly chuckle echoed through the room and the figure slowly stepped into the light.

"Hey! What did you do?!" Devon demanded.

        The figure extended their arm in response, their palm facing Devon like they were trying to reach for him. A a pitch black smoke snaked it's way over their arm, morphing into a large, disfigured shape. Devon watched on in terror as it solidified into a dark, obsidian colored serpent nearly the same size as the room. It glared at him with deep yellow eyes, ready to kill.

        It let out a gargled hiss and extended its fangs as it lunged at Devon. Devon ran and jumped out of the way as it crashed into the ground, leaving a massive hole behind. It reared back and lunged at him again, Devon barely made it as he felt it's fang tear a little bit of his pants. The figure watched on, not making a sound, though their posture made Devon feel like they were enjoying it.

The beast lunged at Devon again, it's fangs lodging themselves into the wall on either side of him. It's tongue shot out like a bolt from a crossbow as though it was trying to stab him with it. Devon's movements were limited, being faced with the summon's fangs and its tongue. He moved too late as its tongue latched on to his shoulder, wrapped around him like a constrictor crushing its prey.

He felt his shoulder pop out of its socket and he cried out in pain. The serpent lifted him into the air, steadying his arm in between its jaws. He struggled to yank his arm free, the pain and numbness overcoming him made it difficult to move. Devon looked over at the figure, they were clapping as though they were cheering on a sports team.