The Children of Zegandaria - Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov (world best books to read txt) 📗

- "I have left you enough food," came the demon's slightly nervous but seemingly calm voice. "I thought you were stronger, but apparently I was mistaken. Go and eat!," he uttered in a commanding tone."

With the last of his strength, the boy dragged himself to where the demon had pointed. He saw an emforilla killed, and her body had begun to decompose.

- "This will be your feast!," the demon gloated. "I'm not eating that!“ the boy grumbled."

- "Starve to death if you will. That I can offer you for the moment!“ the demon laughed at him, then apparently coming to his senses, added, "Succubus meat isn't so bad! It's just a little off at first..."

The boy felt his stomach turn, and without looking at what he was eating, used the erux to tear a juicy steak from the dead succubus. He snapped at it like a hungry dog, tearing small chunks with his teeth. All smeared with sticky blood.

The demon had obviously left him alone for a while.

After he fed, he slowly began to realize what was happening. Apparently this was the first part, of his battle baptism!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE CHILDREN OF KASDEYA

"This is thy grave now, Cleanse it with silent reverence, That may tomorrow at once, To call thee to account!"

Unknown author

Few would doubt that there was a secret nucleus within the sect of the Tarashdukians that was hard at work trying to undermine the leader and remove him - it was „The Children of Kasdeya“[13]. But things, even with the sectarians, were not that simple. Nor could the removal of the leader be so easy. Not at all! Many more would

Would happen before Kazuk Mon was gone from this world, for better or worse. "The Children of Kasdeya" had been preparing the assassination attempt against him for far too long, but something kept happening - either the archer's hand would falter or the poison couldn't reach its final target. They were beginning to despair, but suddenly one suggested an extravagant idea that would once and for all make things fall into place and restore balance. But it was extremely risky and dangerous. And it wouldn't go without blood.

"The Children of Kasdeya" were rejected even by the sectarians - brutal and psychedelic, with no clear direction or purpose in life. They knew that they could only exist on the backs of the sect, which threw them the morsels of their pitiful rations.

It was unclear in one of the many brutal intergalactic raids who had brought home from the distant planet Earth this battered ancient statue of the cruel demonic poison goddess, but it was known that as soon as they caught a glimpse of her face they all felt respect and fell on their eyes in reverence. She gave them comfort to serve her. Soon their services became known far beyond the colony, and many districts and autonomous territories put a huge bounty on the head of any of the gang members. They numbered perhaps thirty or so, but were orphans to a man. No one had ever loved them except their stone mother-goddess. None of them remembered their real mother, either, because of the aforementioned memory retransplant procedure.

As for how they had gotten to them, that would be known late enough that they could at least touch the high priest's life one last time.

- "All right, we accept," they said in unison. "If that is your will."

- "Oh, it is quite possible that you may refuse," the voice pronounced.

- "We will carry out the order in due time," they roared like wild beasts.

- "HHermonad’s's poison should be strong enough, after all, he still has magical powers reserved to counteract. His young novice must be removed while the old man meditates on the rock. He will be much more vulnerable that way. The pilgrims usually sleep far enough away to hear what's going on," Er Mo Za continued his lengthy instructions, a short and stocky Zegandarian with scars on his face from his battle with the guarrons nineteen years ago.

Now he was also passing forty, but he was not thinking of retiring, but was assisting in the subversive activities of the group.

- "We've got to sort out the archivist or our heads will roll very easily," Er Mo Za remarked.

The other members of the group nodded approvingly. Here were Euron Wak and Jessica Wak, two prominent members of the secret movement. They also joined in the support. But no one knew that they were Durnyam's connection to the entire subversive group. Durnyam Shetstone - Mark's friend - was the man who was going to bring down the cult one way or another. He wasn't against religious beliefs, but he was clearly aware that the last Great War had done no good for Au Kaktir. Moreover, the population of the entire planet, and for that matter its entire morale, was deteriorating by the day. Apparently all the events so far were just a prelude to the real and total war. Why did they have to make one Armageddon to get to the new one. Durnyam clearly remembered the huge sacrifices of close friends, and very young boys like Hissu for example fell victim to Elmbaum's sick ambitions. Now, however, the religious cult was eating away at everyone's souls like leprosy.

"The Children of Kasdeya"  was a secretly funded entity from the personal wealth of the Supreme Om Gur Nal, and Durnyam, Sasia, Zorin and Mark, had become his first aides. He had made it clear that he would never allow another split and total annihilation, but this time there were clearly impure forces involved.

The other members of the formation were children who wanted to break away from their pathetic existence and shine as heroes to save others from falling into their own situation. But there was something scary - they were marked to the core with the mark of Arthusson, and it would be for life, as part of their soul went to the demon lord forever.

The truth was, while Durnyam was an expert on ultrasithian language and ancient cultures, he didn't know much about demons. In fact, not even the recruited sect members themselves suspected their infernal design. They had come here because they were hungry and no one else offered them help. They knew very well that the sect would also feed them until time ran out, and it was already running out. They needed to find a solution to their problem or else they were badly off.

One of their duties was to clean the graves of the dead novices. They were really many. Too many. Maybe to few hundred or even a thousand, which was more than a tenth of the total number of all the cultists of Tarash Duk. This should have been done before noon. It was a very tedious occupation. They used special Enzanium sickles for the purpose. Swearing, they tried their best to finish it an hour sooner. And it was like that every time!

Just then, specially trained agents would sneak out from among the novices to attack Kazuk Mon while he was still up high on the cliff, performing the rouge 'g zon meditation. They would secretly tie him up with zeretian strings and drag him off in an unknown direction before he came to his senses and used his magical powers.

One thing in their plan was lame, however - how to catch the novice Zontul. He might slip away rather unexpectedly, and that meant certain death for those who dared to rebel against the evil god's cult. Then Durnyam had consulted with Liroith, and he had advised them to use a very simple resonator box in a hyon fiber sheath to mimic a demonic voice that would enter into communication with the enchanter.

- "He had hardly heard of such a technique," Learout had said ironically, for the cultists were renowned for their technical backwardness.

Extraordinary luck they would strike if the novice they had been watching closely appeared.

The Ufurgans had given them the poison with the understanding that they would remove the restrictions on the Trade Alliance between the two planets - something they accepted gladly.

The enchanter's time was running out. Once in his system, the poison would cause a fatal arrhythmia and an agonizing death. Then it would slowly slither towards the victim's testicles, rеndering them impotent. It was the one they had chosen to punish the evil seducer and maniac.

The old man's brain would be drowned in a flood of fire that would finish him off for good.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ZORIN

"People disappear because of their isolation."

Unknown author

The former commando's long, grueling journey was coming to an end. He could just see how the beautiful mesantioran forests seemed to be 'closing in' on him. The weather was pleasant - slightly cool. He was wearing something like a raincoat, which was called an ertosar[14]. He had a laser cutter hidden in one of his anti-grav boots and an Ansar box. It could knock out even your molars with one punch. Zorin was in a hurry, and he could clearly feel that if he dropped the thread now, he'd never be able to catch up and the truth would simply escape before his eyes.

Mark and Sasia are probably waiting for me, but I have more important things to do right now

- He whispered softly.

Suddenly the nirangaiter stopped. Perhaps there was some kind of malfunction, or maybe the interon fuel had run out. Zorin began to curse and even became angry. Still he went down to inspect the damage.

- "It doesn't seem that serious after all," he concluded after the brief thorough examination of his ride. "I'll continue on foot."

Zorin had a reputation for being a hard bastard and a complete maniac, but this time he was also turning into the dark forest. A plasma blaster would have been far more convincing if anything jumped out at him. The erthosar in question, was constructed of nano-based hyon fibers and covered in tiles of kevlarite. Zorin walked flamboyantly, knowing full well that he was far from his golden years when he could take down even a small Seburnagian tyrfan with a single fist.

A line from the song flashed through his mind, "Honestly I wish the trail would never end, but there's no way I'm not turning around..."

The thick debris was flowing past him and it was getting scarier. But he had learned his lesson well, and felt that he must not trust his senses. Anything could jump out at him. And that might