I settled into the corner where I was. I also have to admit that I want to be a little lazy right now. This place is perfect for resting; right now, I don't want to do anything else. Moreover, to reach zone 2, we would have to walk about 2 hours, and again, it will be a battle for survival.

I still have in mind what happened a few moments ago, but as I can't draw any conclusions, I just keep it in the back of my mind. I'm not going to lose my head over things I don't understand. I just have to reach the gold rank and see if anything happens; that's what I hope for.

I close my eyes and let my body relax. Perhaps this will be the only moment when I can truly be at peace.

***

"Sir, the sacrifice is ready," a man knelt in a black robe with silver stripes. His face couldn't be seen; it was covered from head to toe. The place they were in resembled a dilapidated house, dirty and antiquated. It had a dark atmosphere, and in the air, the smell of blood was thick.

The man standing, unlike the other, wore a black robe with platinum-colored stains. His face was uncovered and very unpleasant. Where his eyes should be, there was a deep darkness, and in the middle, there was only a small purple spark. The skin of his face was gray, as if not a drop of blood ran through his veins; he was so pale that he didn't seem human.

His blonde hair reached his back, and on his head rose elk-like horns.

"Well, I'll be on my way."

With his hands behind his robe, he advanced toward a passage. There was not a hint of light. Walking for a few more minutes, he reached a very open place. Looking down, he saw something like a hall. In the middle of the place, there were two bodies tied by the limbs in a circle. Around this, there were runic drawings in red.

Surrounding the whole space, in corners hidden in the shadows, there were many more people in the same robes. The blonde-haired man approached the chained man. With a pious smile, as if about to perform the kindest act in the world, he took his hands out of his robe.

His hands, or whatever they were, were not human hands. They were animal-like; goat legs instead of fingers, hooves, and his entire arm was covered in gray fur. It was horrible and inhuman. They were followers of a cult that worshipped creatures, or as they called them, their gods.

"Please, don't touch my wife! She's pregnant! You can do whatever you want with me, but please, let her go, I beg you."

"Don't worry, my son. The child in her womb will be our greatest creation. You should be proud," the man's smile was one of absolute devotion. His eyes filled with tears, but they weren't normal tears; they were black with yellow. He raised his hands above and with a loud voice shouted.

"HAIL, LORD OF FILTH, HAIL, LORD OF PUTREFACTION! I, YOUR FAITHFUL AND DEVOTED FOLLOWER, MAKE THIS SACRIFICE IN YOUR NAME!"

Turning in his position, he observed as all the people hidden in the darkness emerged one by one, forming a circle around the man. Immediately, everyone knelt, touching their foreheads to the ground and whispering words in a loop.

"I declare the beginning of the sacrifice!"

His arms changed, his hands transformed into fingers, his head changed its appearance and turned into the head of an elk. With his new hands, he easily penetrated the skin of the man in the circle.

"OH LORD, OH MY LORD, PLEASE, TAKE THIS SOUL AND GRANT ME A SMALL PART OF YOUR GRAND POWER!"

"ARGGGGHHHH"

The space around the place turned black, the air had a foul smell, and in the sky, a portal formed. From that portal, an arm emerged.

The arm was huge, of a dark green color. The same space seemed to freeze; the cries of the poor man were not heard anywhere. It was as if God descended from the sky to dictate his verdict. The kneeling men began to whisper faster; their bodies trembled. One by one, parts of their bodies fell to the ground: eyes, ears, arms, even internal organs.

Still, they kept whispering, as if nothing mattered to them more than being in that position.

The green arm continued to descend until it reached the chained man; it picked him up carefully and moved him towards the girl.

She was trembling, begging to be let go, and pleading for her child in her womb. The blonde man quickly advanced towards her and with his hands, he split her stomach in half.

"ARGGGHHHHHH"

"WAAAAA" "WAAAAAAAAA" "WAAAAAAAAAAA" "WAAAAAAA"

The crying of a baby was heard from all sides, but this should be impossible; the baby shouldn't have developed its lungs properly yet; it was only 4 months old.

The hand gently squeezed the man's body in its hand. No matter how many screams the man released; his fate was sealed.

Bang!

The man's blood fell directly onto the agonizing woman; organs and blood fell directly onto the newly forming baby.

The whole place shook.

"WAAAAAA" "WAAAAA" "WAAAAA"

All that could be heard was the baby's cry.