Darc walked down the palace halls at a brisk pace, he was in a mood that people rarely seen of him for his armies had just finished with the invasion of Felsia which was the last nation that surrounded his own.
A robed man approached Darc "My lord; is it true that you've ordered the priest hood of the under gods to give you a prophecy of the future?!" The robed man seemed anxious as if the prophecy might spell doom.
Darc looked at the man with cold black eyes as he stopped. "Yes it is: is their a problem Regis" His voice was like honey as he spoke, but that cold look never truly left his eyes.
"Umm: but my lord Felsia was just crushed, and the rest of the continent awaits" Regis said while taking a cautious step back from the cold dark stare.
Darc began walking down the hall right past Regis whom was one of his older advisers. "Listen Regis their are things at work that you have yet to comprehend. You see while I have fully taken control of this territory; there are many others, and if I wish to rule the entire continent: then I will need to know what is to come." Darc turned at the end of his flatly stated sentence with a wink toward his adviser, and that seemed to have helped the older man out a bit.
Darc continued walking motioning for Regis to follow him as he walked with his mood only slightly changed.
None of them understand just how big this is; I'm not after just a few nation! I want the entire continent; and then maybe even the world!
His thoughts were fierce as the look on his face told nothing of his inward emotions.
"So Regis what do you think of the ritual of prophecy?" He asked in honeyed words, his eyes watched the old man for any unusual reactions.
"Well my lord; I have heard they are either extremely cryptic: or entirely false in nature." Regis stated his words carefully for he had witnessed first hand his lords prowess in martial combat, after all that was how he had earned the position of emperor that he now held.
"Indeed it seems that they are only true for those that the undergods deem worthy. Do you you think I am worthy of their blessing?" His question was almost like a trap as it flowed off his tongue with such ease that most would have fallen for the bait, but Regis was an old man whom had seen Darc rise to power, and knew exactly how persuasive he could be.
"Well my lord we shall soon know." Regis carefully placed his words as not to seem like a heretic, and also not to seem like a he had any doubts about the current campaign to rule the land. Regis grabbed the door to the chamber that held the priestess that his lord had chosen for the ritual.
As the two walked in they seen a fountain that seemed to be made of marble colored black in the shape of the entire pantheon of under gods. It was enormous in size, and designed with water flowing from carefully placed facets on the wondrous work of art. There stood the priestess, the only thing covering he form was the dark hair that hung well past her buttocks cascading along her slender form as if a tease for the men whom had just walked in. All around the chamber their were both men, and women of the priesthood these fully dressed in dark purple robes.
"Well are the preparations finished? Darc said in a commanding yet sweet voice to the woman who was completely nude.
She purred back at him. "Mmm; yes my lord. All is ready; all we need now is you blood." Her voice was both completely seductive, and cold as ice at the same time. She turned around revealing that she held a dagger in her right hand, while revealing her swaying breast for all to see.
Darc unbuttoned his sleeve as he rolled it up to expose the flesh of his wrist. He admired her body as he remembered the many times he had bedded her, and how he would surely be doing the same tonight. "Well lets get this under way then shall we?" The lords words rang out all most as if they held a power of their own, as he approached the fountain offering his wrist to the nude priestess.
The priestess looked at his offered arm before reaching up to take his hand pulling him closer to the fountain of the gods, she pulled the arm over the pool of crystal clear water that came from various facets around the fountain. She looked at him with a cat like smile, and said in sweet tones. "My lord this is the dagger of prophecy, it's enchantments are ancient and powerful, so this is going to hurt." Her smile never left her face as she brought the dagger up, and slashed down across his wrist eliciting a wince from his handsome features. His blood flowed freely into the water, and the fountains enchantments took effects as every obsidian statue in the fountain began to glow an evil red color. Soon the entire pool was a scarlet red, and the room started to reverberate with power, and the priestess let go of his hand letting it fall to his side while one of the assisting priest cast a spell to heal the wound, and she began chanting in an ancient language not known to many.
Darc stared at the priest whom had healed his wound, and could hear the reverberating voices of the gods as their wisdom came to bear for it seemed that he was at least worth their attention. Soon the power that echoed off the walls seemed to grow overwhelming, and everyone in the room could tell things were changing. The candles that had been illuminating the chamber flickered, then faded, and then seemed to ignite of their own accord though now they were no longer the yellow color they had been but rather violet with a red tinged center that cast the room in an eerie light.
The blood colored pool seem to churn, and then all water pouring from the facets seem to just stop. The obsidian statues seemed to becoming more life like as the priestess's chanting grew louder. Soon the violet candles went out completely leaving the chamber in darkness, all that could be seen was the statues that were glowing with red energy. A few minutes went by while she chanted the words in front of the fountain before the scarlet water burst into violet flame.
