The Book of Sacrifice

The Good Book

Tanya had no idea what to do. She had just faced off against a Demon and took the one thing it wanted; The Book of Sacrifice's lost pages. Her hand felt filthy after holding them but she could not resist the urge to sneak a glance at them every moment she could. The pages sat atop the dashboard, barely budging as she drove. The young sorceress' eyes shifted from them to Adonis. The Hunter's vitality had returned and the sudden aging reverted. Still, he was half awake and barely keeping his eyes open. Tanya never saw the after-effects of nearly being reduced to a soulless husk. She cursed herself, battling the sudden pain in her chest following the sight of him. Could she have helped? Could she have fought? She only found more questions in place of the answers she hoped to hear. "Mmmh…" Adonis groaned as he attempted to force himself up. The pale skin Mask Moloch wore was plastered in his mind, forever tethered to his vision. The soft voice, that cursed voice, rang in his ears. Goodbye, Stranger… How dare he. How dare he not acknowledge him; know what atrocity he committed to his family? The agonizing years of training, agony and anguish meshed into what could only be described as sorrow. But sorrow had to wait. Instead, he found strength in his clenched fists, the gnashing teeth that hid behind closed lips. There was time for sorrow, yes, but fury would have to do. The very thing responsible for his sorrow roamed free in his city. It cannot stand. He snuck a glance at Tanya, taking notes of her heaving chest, her alert eyes. She shared his uncertainty, his fear. That's right.. he had to stave off his own fears for a little while longer. The Hunt was still on. "Tanya.. I know where to go."

In the French Quarter was a creole townhouse unlike any other. Spanning an average city block, the red-brick building stood just next to the tourist nightlife. Despite the neon lights that lit the neighboring street, the full moon's illumination basked the townhouse in a glow that could only be described as ethereal. Some time had passed since Adonis last stood before it. A mixture of dread and determination held sway over him as his eyes locked on the front door. "I can feel mystic energy radiating from this place… how come I never detected it? It's not far from my shop." Tanya questioned, her eyebrows knitting as an anxious hand raised to the townhouse.
"It's not just an expensive townhouse," Adonis stepped up to the door and raised a fist to knock but halted as it opened. A dim light and the sound of splashing water welcomed the duo. "... It's a temple to Met Kalfou." The two stepped inside where a lobby greeted them. Their footsteps faded in the burgundy carpet floor. A pale purple color lined the walls, each end sporting matching Vevé symbols of protection. A staircase sat in the middle of the lobby with two halls on each side to accompany it. Adonis' eyes trailed to the top of the stairs, where Kalfou awaited him and Tanya. Dressed in a different attire this time. This time, the Loa dressed himself in a black suit top and bottom, both lined with streaks of white. Atop his head was a small bowler hat. His eyes glew a cyan hue with a crescent tattoo to compliment the left eye. "I felt a shift in the forces that surround New Orleans the moment the Igbo were wiped out. I smell foreign magic on the two of you as well.. Care to tell me what happened?"

"The Igbo are dead but it wasn't us that took them out. We ran into Moloch. The Igbo had something he wanted.. he called it the 'Book of Sacrifice.' He took them all out with one move.. Never seen anything like it."

"I think I have an idea of how we can fight him. Here…" Tanya revealed the pages to the Loa. A silence fell between the trio. It was only then that both the mortals noticed the strange expression on Kalfou's face. A mixture of disgust and perhaps fury was written all over the deity's face. "No wonder. Only death could mask it's stink as well as the Demon's. That thing walks the streets at my time? In my domain??" He took the pages with a curious hand, inspecting the decrepit things closely. "Demons and their chicken scratch.. Well done, both of you. Come with me."
The duo followed closely behind Kalfou, heading to the left corridor behind the staircase. It would lead to the opening in the midst of the townhouse, revealing to them a rather large fountain that shone under the full moon's light. Surrounding the fountain were plant life and flowers but not just any flora. A cyan glow shone from the flower buds. They were called- "Moonlillies." Tanya's shocked expression was a sight to see. Adonis found it in himself to smile despite the impending doom lingering over their heads. "I haven't seen them since Saint Diana's.." she gazed on. There was compulsion to speak, to say something endearing perhaps, but he when he spoke, he told her;  "Kalfou loves to grow them. I use them in place of warding spells back when I worked with him."

"I don't think I could do such a thing. They're too pretty to be at risk like that." The two shared a chuckle at that. They both stopped walking the moment Kalfou stopped. Before then was the Mambo, who had made herself comfortable by the fountain. By her side was a red sheet adorned with tools and sacrificed necessities such as a whet blade, vials of powders and a scrying bowl. "Oh? Hello again, Adonis." she turned their way, "Tanya."
The young sorceress scrunched her nose and rolled her eyes as a sign of disdain. "Mambo."
Kalfou was the first to step up, presenting the pages. "The threat of the Igbo is no more. Not only that, we've got our hands on an ancient artifact; The Lost Pages of the Book of Sacrifice." The Mambo clutched the pages carefully, her hands even shook a bit as her fingers ran along them. "Do you have any idea what you've got? What *this* is?? The mystical energy emanating from it alone.. I'm surprised none of you were corrupted."

"What is the Book of Sacrifice?" Adonis' gaze shifted from the Mambo to the pages. The Mambo's wicked, toothy grin made his skin crawl, or perhaps it was the book's terrible energy looming over the group. "The Book of Sacrifice has many names; The Black Grimoire, The Lesser Key of Solomon, even the Necronomicon. To even be in the same room as the book is every Witch, Wiccan, and Sorcerer's wet dream. The list of atrocities committed just for a page are endless. The book has it all: the means to communicate with creatures from realities unknown, the power to shake mystical forces that surround us, even the power to kill a Demon."

Adonis' ears perked up the moment she told him what he wanted to hear. "So we can use it against Moloch."
"No." The Mambo shook her head and set down the pages, "Great power has a drawback, Adonis. The book needs a sacrifice to be used. The greater the power, the greater the sacrifice must be. Those sacrifices could be your family, your friends.. those dearest to you. Even if you were to use individuals that weren't, you would risk your sanity until it devours your body and soul. The book is a hungry beast that consumes all who let it.. I don't know you personally, not enough to be certain, but I doubt you would be willing to take that step, would you?"
The Hunter remained silent in his attempt to process what he was told. The Mambo nodded, scooping up the pages once more upon getting his answer. "Our safest option is banishment. I've already skimmed and noticed details of a portal. Whoever you took this from must have been trying to rid themselves of Moloch."

"Wait-" Adonis took a step forward but was stopped by Tanya's hand, "Donny, no. The Mambo is the most experienced practitioner here, second to Kalfou. You can't be put at risk.. We should banish Moloch now while we still have the opportunity."
His eyes shifted to Kalfou, "You know we'll need a way to put him down for good. Can't you-"
"No." Kalfou's eyes did not meet the Hunter's, "I have had many servants and students sacrifice themselves in my name, in the name of others. I refuse to allow you to walk that same path in any way at all. I understand your rage, Adonis. I cannot stop you from your vengeful pursuit but I can prevent you from destroying yourself. We'll banish the Demon back to Hell."
Their stern expressions sickened him. He searched for something, anything he could use to turn them to his side. The idea of banishment was once something he could accept but the means to kill Moloch lurked in the pages, if not in the book itself. Not only could be rid the world of the Demon, he could do it permanently. The words stopped, lumping into a knot in his throat. He could only sigh and speak; "What do we do?"

"With Lord Kalfou's watchful eye, I'll use the pages to prepare the banishment process. You and Tanya will have to bait him." The Mambo spoke with a certain firmness in her tone.
"I can provide a location on the outskirts, just beyond the bayou. Possession is every infernal beast's forté. The less people, the easier it'll be to identify Moloch." Kalfou added.

"Prepare yourselves. Tonight, we Hunt a Demon."