Chapter 7 – Ceremony

“Eight… Nine… Ten. Good. Everyone’s accounted for.” Kairon nodded in satisfaction. The last week had been rough. Even with daily encouragement, fervor had dropped to 31%. The imps were run ragged, and he himself had finally caved and begun spending each day with the haulers.

One unforeseen consequence of the fervor drop was a change in Sovereign Eye’s ability to give orders.

Yesterday, when he sent the morning orders through the eye, there was a slight pushback from the link. The imps weren’t refusing his order, but it was more like a drag… The mental connection between himself and the eye caught for a half second before the imps complied. When fervor was 45-50%, the orders had been instant. At 31%, it felt more like a negotiation of sorts. That was new, and frankly very concerning.

Another unwelcome shift in yields was with the hunting party. Despite getting more and more apt at hunting, they were finding less game. He hoped it was just due to over-hunting, but as he once again gazed out at the increased line of hellscape now well into the treeline, black bark and ash in its wake, he thought corruption was the true culprit.

But it was all worth it. I’m ready for the next phase of our development, even if it took a few days longer than I accounted for.

Tonight, the clawing, grinding, and work they all put in would be rewarded. The city lord reviewed his stockpile.

Kairon was dearly tempted four days ago to build the ring when he had enough resources, but feared that it might come with unforeseen consequences that would offset their yields. He decided waiting until he had enough resources for both the ring and the spawning grounds construction afterward was the best course of action.

The imps were scattered about, already finished eating and looking sleepily at their little dirt beds.

Kairon snapped loudly. “Everyone, I know we’re all exhausted. Myself included. But to make sure we all stay safe during the erm… excitement tonight, I think it best we head into the tower. Now.”

With grunts and sleepy hisses, the imps slowly clambered into the dark tower. Once again, they had called it quits an hour early, so the sun was still setting to the west. Meaning the tower was lit both by the orange gemstone from within, and the light flowing in the doorway from without.

Stepping inside himself, Kairon already had Sovereign Eye whirring to life.

The demon stood, his discerning eye taking in the hellscape clearing. The corruption was now maybe thirty paces into the treeline. To the north, a small trail had been naturally pressed into the thick underbrush from the hunting party. On the other side, half-chewed trees and a small log pile sat.

From the tower to the timber harvesting spot, the hellscape was pushed flat, evidence of the rolling logs each day. About two hundred meters out from the tower itself.

Not an impressive city. I hardly could even call this a city, frankly. For now. Clicking his tongue, Kairon took it all in, one last time. Then, he selected yes.

There was a moment where nothing happened. Birds chirped, the wind blew, and imps sneezed and pattered about in the tower. Then, a bolt of orange lightning cracked in the air. Even in the diminishing light, Kairon could clearly make out the crimson red and orange glow of script being burned into the hellscape.

The Sovereign Eye in the sky narrowed, and Kairon focused intensely. There. That angular character on the left… He’d seen that before. Where have I… Ah, yes! It was on the stockpile markers. Those symbols, repeating in sequence. The city lord tried to hold them still in his mind, mapping them exactly against what he’d sketched, but the script was carving below far faster than he could track. Dozens of characters, then hundreds, each burning into the ground and vanishing under smoke before he could commit them to memory.

I need to study these after, if anything remains.

In a perfect circle around the tower, the scripture glowed bright enough to color the smoke orange. It grew hotter. Much hotter. Steam began wafting from the hellscape into the air, intermingling with the smoke. A hissing filled the clearing with each piece carved. By the time the entire circle was done, a ring of reddish smog blanketed the sky above.

The imps were chittering excitedly, rushing to the doorway to watch.

Nine sets of impish eyes traced the smoke in the air. One set, Shiny’s, stared with concentration at the smoke-covered scripture in the ground.

“Glow. Shiny…” he mumbled.

Together, they bore witness and waited. And waited. After several minutes, the smoke had begun to clear, but nothing changed. No new options on Kairon’s interface, no notifications, nothing.

A sinking feeling started to fill the demon’s stomach, but he pushed it away. I think I know the issue.

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Deactivating the eye, he joined the imps at the doorway. “Listen. I know we are all tired. Exhausted. Out of energy. But I for one want to see what all our hard work has earned us.” Kairon licked his lips, before striding out to the stockpile and issuing new orders.

This is a ritual. And rituals need materials.

Moments later, a column of bedraggled but determined imps and one large black demon were ferrying gold and timber out to the circle. Kairon wasn’t sure if it needed to be spaced evenly or just all be piled up, but as they got started the imps seemed to have a natural instinct for what to do. They snatched the gold and timber from his claws, and without needing further instruction began carrying it to the circle around him.

He hadn’t given them formation or sequence orders, just a vague “bring the materials to the circle” order. Yet, Kairon was certain there was an exact pattern they were moving in. Specific imps went to precise points around the circle, setting materials down with an unsettling certainty. Shiny, for his part, took the boundary nearest the tower. Two others were mirroring him on the far side, and the rest equally interspaced themselves.