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...