Mistaken Master's Legion

"Fallen Father, hear our cries,
Prepare our bodies for the prize.
Bless our eyes to see you rise."
The thirteen voices rose with the fire as it danced towards the sky, enveloping the sacrificial lamb. Matilda Madison, the last original member of the Coven of Our Father, led the spell. A spell she and many others had been working on for over four decades. Most of the coven, current, and past members went into bankruptcy trying to fulfill the requirements for this summon, but tonight was the night.
As the orangish red flames became light blue, the thirteen women that surrounded the fire knew their decades of preparation had paid off. They were moments away from giving themselves to the King of Hell. Every member that wanted to be impregnated by the Dark Lord had to make an artifact out of rat bones and snake skin, then have that blessed with strength by seven separate priests. Along with the self-made artifact, the fire had to be placed in the center of a giant golden pentagram. The bankruptcies came from trying to purchase enough gold to make the pentagram, several miles all together, and buying enough land to bury it. The next required object was a crystal that had been blessed under a blood moon by the whole coven, four separate times. The very last requirement was for the spell to be performed under a super flower blood moon, which happens when a supermoon occurs during a total lunar eclipse.
The fire started to grow, almost abolishing all shadows of the near perfect circular grove of trees. The blue dancing flames started to emit black smoke, which obfuscated whatever just appeared in the center of the fire. A low unearthly growl now accompanied the popping and sizzling at the center of the blaze. The growl continued in volume as the flame froze, dissipating slowly to unveil thick dark hooves. As the flames continued to fade black fur covered legs became discernible. The fur continued up as the frozen flames disappeared inch by inch. The creature's goat legs led to its exposed genitals and then up to abs, chest, and neck all covered in thick black fur. Instead of the head of a goat, a fierce, snarling, jaw chomping wolf's head appeared. The teeth were sharp, white, and all canines. The eyes were pure black, and behind its large ears, horns formed into deadly points.
"Hello, disciples," the creature reached out telepathically to all surrounding him, "You have freed me for a time. What offerings have you brought me, for I crave sustenance." The hulking beast's voice was calm, but authoritative and high ending in almost an echo.
"Yes fa, fa, … father," Matilda's voice faltered for a moment. "Welcome, Father. we did not know to have food ready for you."
"No matter, children. I sense that you all wear the artifact. Is this true?" The echoing voice asked.
"Yes, Father, we all wish to receive the prize." Matilda replied, then added, "Did we do something wrong, Father?"
"Not at all, child," the calm voice reassured her. "I have never enjoyed so many before."
"How is this going to work, by the way?" One of the coven asked. "Sybil!" Matilda tried to interject, but Sybil continued with, "Is it one on one, or a group thing?"
"What is it that you speak of, child?" The hauntingly high-pitched echo asked.
"The offering, Father." Sybil answered.
"We shall see what feels right in the moment." The beast replied.
The creature walked down from the embers, its hooves clatter reverberated through the small grove, and he approached Matilda. He was at least eight feet tall and smelled of burnt and rotting flesh. He placed his giant claw of a hand gently on Matilda's shoulder and asked, "What is your name, child?"
"Matilda, Father." The proud answer came.
"Do you lead this coven, Matilda?"
"Yes, Father."
"For one, I am not the Father. Lucifer is the Fallen one, not me." The beast started to walk around the perimeter of the embers and eyed the individual women. "Where did you find the book?"
"A woman named Nora found the book in a dry well about sixty years ago." Matilda immediately answered.
"And what havoc have you brought upon the land?" The beast asked hungrily.
"We have cursed a few people with madness." Matilda answered again.
"You have only caused madness in sixty years?" The beast had stopped in front of Sybil but turned to address Matilda. "Was it as widespread as the tower of Babel incident?"
"No, we, uh …,"
"Disappointing." the beast said as he took another glance at Sybil before continuing his walk around the once tall and powerful flames turned dead embers.
"I have plans to …" Matilda tried to explain but was quickly interrupted by a mental laugh that sounded almost giddy before it turned rather harsh when it said, "You plan, child! How delightful."
"I apologize if I said something wrong, um," Matilda knelt and bowed down before the creature, then popped up quickly to ask, "What should we call you if not Father?"
"You may address me as anything you wish, child." The echoing got shrill as the beast spoke, and all thirteen women shook their heads and massaged their ears to the internal dialog of the beast. "I have had many names over the centuries."
"What would one of those names be, master?"
"Vârcolac, Malphas, Marchosias, Wepwawet, Fenrir, and Cerebus among many others." The voice was crisp and on the side of irritated. "But you can refer to me as Master. It has a nice ring, child."
"Of course, Master." Matilda replied.
"Master!" The rest of the coven said in unison as they knelt and bowed.
"Tell me, Matilda," the hulking figure, covered in black fur, kept walking around the perfect circular bed of coals, "Who translated the book?"
"Nora, Master." Matilda raised her head slightly to answer and then bowed deeper than before, forehead touching the cool grass.
"So, Nora, was the leader before you?" The high-pitched echoing voice asked.
"No, Master. I became High Priestess over a year ago when Agatha passed away." Matilda didn't think this answer would please her Master.
"Disappointing." the beast said again as he continued to eye up his new disciples and lick his lips. "Did you at least have a hand in this Agatha's demise?"
"No, Master. Cancer is what took her from us." Matilda lifted her head momentarily.
"Disappointing." The beast was now back in front of the bowing Matilda. "But I guess having you all murder each other for the position is so last century. Who translated my book, child?"
"Um, Nora, Agatha, and a few others. It took them several years, Master." Matilda recalled.
"They did a poor job. If it had been done correctly, you would not have thought I was the Fallen One. I was created by the Fallen One. I am one of his lieutenants." the beast said proudly as he stood straight and brought his right hand to his chest. "And I am sure the reason you have only spread madness is because of the poor translation. It is one of the only offensive magics that worked for you, am I right?"
"Yes, Master." The thirteen witches responded in unison.
"What did your poor translation say about the spell that summoned me?" The proud tone now gone from the high-pitched voice.
"That you were Lucifer." Sybil answered first.
"Yes, insolent child, I know that much!" The voice got deep and almost threatening.
"The spell stated that we would be summoning Lucifer to impregnate everyone with this artifact," Matilda said as she lifted the hanging object in question, "and we would usher in the apocalypse at his side."
"Hilarious," the high-pitched voice returned as the beast started to laugh. "How did you come up with that? I mean, summoning the Fallen One, and all thirteen of you having his child, what kind of fantasy is that?" The beast chuckled at the end as he wiped away a tear from his eye.
"We will gladly have your children and add to the Fallen One's army, Master!" Sybil jumped in before Matilda could answer.
"Your subordinate is quite … disobedient, Matilda." The beast quipped as he was still in front of the High Priestess.
"Yes, Master, she does have a problem with authority."
"Just your authority, sister," Sybil snarked from a knelt position, "You don't know what you are doing!"
"How dare you," Matilda rose up, "You little bi…"
"Silence!" The beast screamed in everyone's mind. "You forget where you are and who stands before you."
"Apologies, Master." Matilda said as she bowed down again.
"I apologize, Master." Sybil replied before bowing back down.
"I am surprised you were able to make this spell work at all with how badly the translation is." The beast opened his lips to show off all of his canines in a wide disturbing smile. "It's a testament to the mortal spirit. I envy that at times." The voice in their heads trailed off for a moment before remembering where he was going. "I am delightfully surprised that all of you made the artifacts. They are a lot of work, and your offerings will be rewarded when you reach Hell. You all can proudly stand now. I am about to receive your offerings. Once you are consumed, you will be immediately promoted to Captain in Olivier's, Prince of Cruelties, army. And you will lead a company of 200 trained demons into battle against the false god. How does that sound as an award?"
"It sounds …" The first two words were excited until Matilda realized what had been said, "Did you say consumed, Master?"
"Of course, that is what you are offering to me, your life essence." The smile returned once the beast walked to the women to the right of Matilda and with a wave of his hand drained her of her life. Sand seemed to flow through the air from the woman's face and into the sharp claws of the beast. With each grain that left her, she aged. Starting at 32 years old, she was quickly aged to 40, then 50. At this point, the woman's face became scarred with age lines, and then the flesh cracked and broke, revealing the skull of the once young woman. When the beast finally put his hand down, the remains fell to the ground in a puff of dust and the matching robes everyone was wearing. Several of the coven screamed in terror as they tried to flee, but with a snap of the beast's fingers, fire rose in between the women and the trees.
"Yes, stupid children, fear me for I am your reckoning!" The shrill voice turned into laughter as it jumped at the next in line and grabbed her before she could run. She tried to scream, but her life essence was quickly pulled from her, and her body crumbled into dust. The beast then launched itself towards the opposite side of the circle. The dancing fire illuminated the huddled women hiding by it. As he flew through the air towards them, the witches scattered, but with his superior speed, he easily caught one in each massive claw.
"Please spare me, Master!" One begged while the other tried to fight. The fighter beat on the beast's black fur covered arm and chest before the beast's mouth opened and stretched, allowing for the woman, who was now screaming at the top of her lungs, to fit inside. The jaws closed with a grotesque squishing noise that was accompanied by a loud popping and bone breaking sound. The woman's cries, muffled by the closed lips around her naked chest, stopped abruptly when the beast bit down for a second time. The sounds of ingesting their sister witch caused several others to lose their lunch.
Matilda, still in her spot, grew courageous and threw the only other offensive spell she knew; a basic fireball. It hit the beast square in the back, searing off the fur and the first layer of skin. It barely even fazed the beast, which was now swallowing the second half of the witch. It turned its body to look at where the attack came from and locked eyes with the High Priestess. He just smiled as his mouth opened wide to accommodate the second witch in his grasp. He turned to face the brave but stupid woman as he finished swallowing his second morsel.
"Sisters," Matilda screamed as she pulled back her hand to finish the spell for the fireball, "We have to stick together! Join me!"
The laughing continued, but this time, it was escaping from the open maw of the demon lieutenant, who was now walking towards the High Priestess. She was able to fire off four balls of hellfire before the eight foot tall monster reached her mid conjuring and wrapped the little woman in his claws, which cut her skin with ease. Matilda stared up into the black eyes of the massive demon and awaited her eventual horrific death in the mouth of the beast, but after several seconds the mental bridge connected again and the giggling invaded everyone's mind. "Is that it?" The giggling erupted into full laughter before subsiding as he brought her closer to his face and mentally asked, "Where is the fight, child? Did you really expect to hurt me with hellfire? You have the greatest power in this coven, even though it is still miniscule, and you squandered it. You could have been strong. You had the potential."
"Th, the, uh … spare me, and I will feed you hapless girls." Matilda turned from defiant to pleading in a second. A few long seconds dragged by before the beast's mouth closed, and then he said one word, "Elaborate."
"I, I … I could get young girls to join the coven and feed you one or two every few years. I could train them to be strong witches and get them to make the artifact." Matilda explained.
"That is delicious!" The echoing voice returned as did the shuddersome smile. "You would continue my tradition?"
"Yes, Master!" Matilda pleaded.
"Interesting." The beast then brought her back up close to his face, and the wolf's nose twitched a few times while he inhaled deeply. "You have only a few years left, child. And to become strong, you need youth."
"What about me?" Sybil yelled, still standing in her spot, scared for her life. "I am young, Master!"
"It's the insolent one, isn't it?" The demon asked Matilda in a sing-songy echoing tone without turning to look.
"Yes, Master." Matilda confirmed his suspicion.
Now the beast turned around, and the huddled group of women skirted the edge of the dancing fire wall to try and get out of the demon's line of sight. The monster gave them no attention as he carried Matilda over towards Sybil. The sinister smile returned as he now loomed over the youngest while holding the oldest in his claws. He entered her mind and asked her, "Why would I want a disobedient little witch like you?"
"I have never, and will never disobey you, Master." Sybil stood proudly and answered out loud. "I disobey her because she doesn't want to use the, uh, your book, Master."
"Is that true?" The hybrid animal asked with the first genuine seriousness of the encounter.
"No, Master. I told her I wanted to get the book out of storage so we could reexamine a few pages and try to translate it ourselves." Matilda offered an explanation.
"You never said that!" Sybil interrupted the conversation.
"And you think interrupting me will gain you favor for the new position of High Priestess?" The beast asked with a displeased look on the giant wolf head. "One of you is lying. I never understand you humans. I am in your mind, your thoughts, your brain, but you think you can lie to me? I am a DEMON." He then looked down at the older of the two with an accusing stare before saying, "Disappointing." And opening his giant maw that then expanded further than before and it ended with just darkness he threw Matilda in whole. The mouth closed around her, miraculously, and the jaw muscles started to walk her down the throat like a snake eating large prey.
After the long process of swallowing the former High Priestess the beast turned towards Sybil. They made eye contact for a few seconds before a look of realization popped on her face, and she quickly hit the floor. The beast then looked around for the others before turning back towards the bowing Sybil. "You will do this regularly? Bring me young women to feed on?"
"Yes, Master." Sybil answered without raising her head.
"And what do you want in return, besides your life?" The beast asked through the mental connection.
"Just give me power, Master!" Sybil cried.
"I could help you learn Hell-speak so you can read my enchiridion." The beast mused in her head.
"Yes, Master, I can spread your influence far and wide."
"I foresee a very productive partnership." The demon said, 'And if you don't follow through with your side, you will eventually be seeing me again. I will take my revenge slowly, child."
"I swear I am your devoted disciple, Master!" Sybil said, still bowing.
"Stand, High Priestess Sybil." The beast echoed a congratulating tone, and when she finally stood, he put his hand on her shoulder, and she felt a weird sensation engulf her. "Now go, you can walk through my hellfire. I need you to start immediately. I will contact you through a familiar." With that said, the young woman turned and ran straight towards the flames. The other seven witches watched as she disappeared through a hole that opened once she was close to it. The beast then slowly turned around and faced the huddled group of women on the other side of the inflamed grove of trees.
The beast slowly took his first two steps, watching the fear fill the faces of his prey with superior eyesight, and then he dashed over the massive bed of embers within a breath and appeared out of nowhere in front of the group. "I just love the taste of fear!" The monster screamed in their mind's before plucking two out of the crowd and opening his mouth all the way, several feet of nothing but sharp canines lined both sides of the horror hole. After the lines of teeth, there was a black void that seemed to peer back the longer you stared. One woman stared for too long and became mesmerized by the nothingness. She was the third to be thrown in and consumed. The next two were turned to sand from a wave of his clawed hands, and the last two, he just used his power to bring them to him. He threw both in his huge mouth and chewed them into sludge and swallowed.
"With seconds to spare," the demon mentally screamed as the body could only howl at the dwindling super flower blood moon. With a puff of smoke, the demon disappeared while the fire around the inside perimeter of the grove dissipated. The grove became silent as an eerie breeze started to spread the ashes of the consumed.