Chapter 27

"What is it Owiso?" The panther asked the leopard that called for the run

"Sacrificial magic, The tribes sacrificial magic." Owiso replied

"Are you sure, it was the magic of the tribe?" The Cheetah asked

"Yes mother, The ingredients was right and then he performed a cleansing that also put up a boundary spell of the high priest during the cleansing." Owiso told his mother

The panther listened on in silent despair. being the village chief and high priest he knew many things. And if someone outside the clan had their rituals. it could only be a descendant of Alphonz belatunde delgallo or his apprentice

"We end him first and then use the necromancer to bind his soul and tell us what we need to know" the panther said

The big cats traveled through the Congo at high speeds and while they were racing against time. Lucien was taking his time.

Picking up the petrified Python, Lucien stood tall with a blade in hand. The ritual called for you to stand before something high and declare your true nature without remorse or deception. The only problem was at this point in life, Lucien wasn't even Sure if the Bondye could step foot on this plane and if he was the last god then who should take the offering and hear his confession?

so Lucien had a thought, and if it didn't work then sacrificial magic would actually turn out to be useless

"I speak to whatever mechanism turns the gears that keeps this world alive. I , Lucien Dubois, the one with out fate and traveler of words, son of the divine Legba. take this life in my own right and bestow my mark upon it to declare it mine!"

The world laws registered Lucien's words and couldn't find fault. This proved that his father and the Bondye were indeed from this world, As a son of a higher power he had the right to except his own offerings. Lucien then killed the python and bisected it . Spilling its blood over the ritual area. the winds began to howl and thunder rumbled as the energy from the sacrifice invaded Lucien's body. and and arcane sigils wrapped around his arm like tattoos

As Lucien painted his mark in blood to finish the ritual, the roars of big cats came towards Lucien and shattered his boundary spell.

As a leopard tried to pounce on him Lucien step to the side and brought his hand down , decapitating the leopard. The blade he had for the ritual was transfigured into a Double bladed polearm. The Leopard soon transformed into the body of a nȧkėd woman who looked no older than 20 years old

"You dare! Fine! You shall all be my sacrifices!!" Spinning the polearm, lucien stabbed it in the ground and spike form from the earth under the group of big cats. Another leopard uwas impaled, as he slowly bleed out the last three bigcats scattered turning into their human forms.

"With every kill while the ritual is active brings me more power. So, Apologize and I shall let you go!" Lucien

"We will never apologize to thief like you, and you will pay for what you did to my people!" Owiso transfigured a sword from a stick mounted an attack as Lucien met him battle . sword against polearm, blow for blow the battle and the magick supported them as Owiso conjured streams of flames to engulf Lucien. Lucien quickly connected with the magic in the flames. He could feel that owiso had conjured the flames but the magic was still wild an unrefined, although it gave the outer appearance of perfect control

"haha you think you can press me?" Lucien smirked and twist the polearm drawing in Owiso's flames and then breaking them. With the explosion acting as a visual obstruction Lucien used his telekinesis to send his weapon of to kill Owiso.

"Enough!" The flames dissipated and the polearm was shattered before it could get close to Owiso. A man in a Golden Agbada walked down from the sky and stood in the middle of Lucien and the unknown animagi.

Lucien could sense the magic submit around this man, it was calm, submissive, like putty ready to be formed into whatever he saw fit. However, no one could make Lucien Sweat, at least not until he's behind closed doors.

Lucien pulled a stick to his hand and formed another weapon. with a quick idea, he cut his palm and drew a symbol on his blade that resembled the clavicula nox. and then stab it into the ground ending the ritual and taking the power from all three lives sacrificed.

Looking over his shoulder, the unknown man in the golden agbada smiled at Lucien "Professor Faso was right out you. You are very bold. even in the face of power that could be your end"

The man turned around to step to Lucien and a giant twined tailed cat landed in front of him letting a gut filled roar as five elves appeared from thin air

"No one gave you permission to approach the master.." Visney said in calm tone seeped in blood ŀust

Stopping in his tracks the man put his hands up to show no harmful intentions "My name is Babajide Akingbade, Headmaster at Uagadou school of magic. Elder of the watab"

Lucien was sick to his stomach, the man he had been avoiding was an elder of the animagi tribe he was looking for, and the animagi tribe he was looking for had found him first but, he had killed two of theirs souring the relationship before it could start.

"Tondy take them all away including Vega, I can handle this on my own" Ordered Lucien

"Yes, Master Lucien" Tondy some how enveloped the entire group and apparated away surprising the watab tribe and the headmaster

Lucien had bowed his head and offered his weapon once his team was gone

"Forgive me if I wronged you, I merely soot the Watab to learn the Mysteries of the Animagi. and on the way I was attacked by a beast I could barley survive. Out of the need to become strong I conducted rituals on your land and for that I apologize and will repay the debt twice over. However for taking the lives of you kin I am not sorry they attacked and I retaliated"

Babajide Akingbade looked at the chief with questioning eyes. Theres now way the chief, his father, the wisest man in the village would senslesly attack because of a ritual. not to mention this was miles away from their tribe. But appearances mean alot so he did not question or show doubt as he turned to face Lucien again.

The chief stepped finally stepped forward, he was olderman looked to be in his 60's, with long wild grey hair and a beard to match it. He was well built for his age and had a tattoo of the four great cats on his ċhėst, a leopard, cheetah, panther, and lion.

"Tell me, boy why those ingredients for a scraifice?" The cheif asked while gesturing his hand towards the ritual site

Reading through the book the chief spit on the ground in disgust before incinerating the book in his hand

"Your brother wasn't just a foul traitors leach but he was also careless and irresponsible." Turning away from Lucien the chief walked away "I want him no where near our tribe, by learning from the lineage of Tunde, the banishment now falls to him. Jide take him away from the Congo"

"Chief what..." "Enough! It is as much mine and your uncle Jide's fault as it is the boys. would you see us dead as well?" the chief asked Owiso

"No, grandfather. I will not" Owiso answered

"Good! this a family matter. It stays between us. Ma'at and weenie will be remembered as warriors that gave there lives for the village" the chief then Turned into a panther before disappearing back into the trees

Owiso brought Weenie's head to her body and then apparated away. His mother walked over to Babajide Akingbade and gave him a lingering hug " I've missed you brother. Baba is getting old 120 years now. Tunde is never coming back. you need to lead now" She gave him a soft kiss on the forehead before turning to Lucien

"where did you get the book and have you met my brother Belatunde Akingbade?" she asked

"He went by Alphonz belatunde Delgallo, that was his grimoire from 1919, I got as a gift. And Tunde? you call him, died in 1919 New Orleans with his two sons" Lucien replied.

When he had first received the book he had done research on the author and discovered his death place but not his birth place. everything made sense to Lucien now. The Bondye and his father was from this world, and they must have been from Africa on this plane and its why voodoo has such strong African roots, that's why the Tunde's symbols and Veves operate the same and he could claim the offerings in the ritual without bowing before a higher power.

But now Lucien wanted to know what could have made two divine beings flee and why weren't there anymore divine beings around.

while Lucien was in deep thought the two Watab siblings where experiencing a heart break after learning their older had died along with their nephews the had never met. Jide's sister then went to Ma'at's body and apparated away as well leaving Jide and Lucien alone

Coming back to his senses Lucien said " I guess I cant decline visiting Uagadou now, can I?"