Chapter 108: The Ritual I

{Please read Author note}

As the Saintess its my job and life to make sure the forces of evil stay at bay, and I intend to do just that. The strike team is getting ready to move out in a few minutes, we all know our roles and we'll play them accordingly. The Pope was very adamant on us just leaving, but there is valuable information to be had. If we leave now we are throwing away an opportunity to get an advantage, many would call this mission unnecessary. They are the ones who are safe from attack at the moment, and with Alsoma gone the monsters have a foothold for more attacks. If it were a different enemy I'm sure that we could swiftly deal with this, but this is a war we haven't seen for centuries. I hate to say it, but we are slowly losing a balance with this war, we haven't even launched an attack yet.

I look over to the small group talking and I can tell that this mission will go smoothly. These are some of the strongest people willing to help, the mages asked for prices we couldn't afford so we got the best available. A girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes is preparing some potions, she is the only mage that was willing to help for a fair price. Her name is Jasmine Remmingfield, and she is a noble. She is a very shy and cute girl, communication isn't her strong suit. She is very sweet to, some of the men in our group have taken a liking to her. She has soft features and a light complexing, and some flattering moles here and there as well. Most female noble children become mercenaries or adventures so they can avoid political marriages. 

I walk up to the girl and see that she is making powerful healing potions, she looks up at me in apprehension. "No need to be so nervous Jasmine, I may be The Saintess. We are comrades first though, so I think we should get better acquainted since we are going into battle together. I'll start first, aside from earlier introductions my hobbies are fishing, fighting, and helping the weak." I open up to the girl to try and make this situation easier on her, she is doing a good job of keeping her cool. I know she is a fan of mine, despite how much I'm revered by others I prefer to be treated like a normal person. She looks ready to start talking, but stops as we hear shouting between some of the other strike group members.

I just sigh and place my armored hand on top of her head. We'll get a chance to talk next time, I'm sure of it. I make my way to the arguments that are happening and I see Creatureman holding his friend Ghostzero back. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF HER IN SUCH A WAY!!!" I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure its just 2 guys competing somehow. Instead of interfering I just stand and watch the little fight unfold. Ghostzero breaks from the grasp of his friend and lands a solid strike on the jaw of our best Archer. "YOU'RE LUCKY THAT I CANT KILL YOU!! IF SHE HEARD YOU SAY THAT SHE WOULD FLAY YOU ALIVE!!!" Must be about me, while I think its sweet that he defends me. I don't need someone protecting me, I'm the strongest person here.

I walk over to the group and clear my throat. They turn to me and all stand at attention, the 2 in a fight are red in the face. "I hope this was all just rough housing, we don't need disunity within the group so close to the departure time. I suggest you all get ready to move out, we are leaving in 10 minutes." I turn to leave and get back to my business, I wonder why men act like that when it comes to women. Something I'll never understand, perhaps its passion. Enough dwelling on this, I have to speak to our scout party before we move out. I make my way across the camp to the scouts tent and politely announce myself. "Its Saintess Lucy! I was hoping to talk to you guys about what you found!" I hear a come in and I enter, its twin sisters. They both hold epic scout classes, its nice to have them on our side.

They are getting dressed in their combat gear for the next deployment. "Saintess, we have no new news to report. The enemy ritual site and camp have been abandoned, its like they all just dropped everything and left. I suggest we exercise caution when approaching." Emily, the older of the twins reports to me quickly and concisely. Her sister Madelene couldn't be more different, but they get along very well. "We are ready to deploy at your command, we will report any changes via holo-communicator." I nod my head thankfully and leave them to the little bit of free time they have. They are the youngest of us, not even 18 yet. War calls for the capable, and that usually disregards age. Now is a good time to head out towards the ritual site and see what happened.

I make my way to the enter of camp and take a deep breath. "EVERYONE REPORT AT THE CENTER OF CAMP!! WE ARE LEAVING FOR THE RITUAL SITE!!!" The small strike group we have all get here within the minute of my call throughout camp. Soon everyone of us is present and I can start the final meeting. "I want you all to be prepared for the worst, the reports we have gotten are very suspicious and worrying. Make sure to watch each others back, and never stray from the group. This mission gives me a bad feeling and I want to get home in one piece, so lets get a move on and take care of business." I lead the group out of the camp and begin to make our way towards the enemy. Its going to take about an hour to get there, but that wont take long.

We all start traveling at high speeds and staying on high alert. This time frame will give me time to go over known information. First and most worrying is the sudden abandonment of the camp and ritual site. What could have caused monsters to retreat like that, was it a stronger creature in the area. Maybe it was an emergency on a different front we are fighting. As I'm traveling, I feel a strange and foreboding feeling in my body. Its as if we are heading towards something of incredible power and we don't even know it. My magic sensing abilities are pretty good, and I don't feel anything. I look behind me and my strike team has the same look I do. Whatever scared off the monsters is powerful.

My instincts are rarely wrong about these sorts of things, and my team feels the same way. "I know you can all feel that, just be ready to run if need be. We could end up fighting something far stronger than expected." I say some words to my group and they all nod. I'm glad that we are all level headed, I'm worried about Jasmine though. She looks more scared and worried then the rest of us. We travel closer and closer and the feeling I have gets worse and worse. I hold up my hand as I stop and everyone does the same. "Something isn't right... Everyone, if you wish to turn back now is the time. Anyone who wants to continue can follow me." I watch only a few of the team leave, and I don't blame them one bit. This doesn't feel right in the slightest. Creatureman and Ghostzero are still with me, along with Jasmine. I'm sure the twin scouts are following from a distance as well.

We get moving again, after about 30 minutes we make it to the ritual site. Everything is abandoned like the twins said. I look around the area and the feeling is oppressive, I makes it hard to breathe. I'm shocked to here a deep voice, full of power and wisdom. Along with vast age. "Seems the church has decided to investigate anyways..." I look in the direction of the voice and peer into the woods. I see glowing red eyes stare back at me, I watch as the creature stands and the giant wolfs head raises above the trees. "I'm surprised that the church would send its strongest on such a mission, well war calls for desperate measures." The giant wolf walks out of the trees and into view of all of us. His runic tattoos on his fur are of an ancient language that I can not comprehend.

I immediately lower my head in respect, as do all the other strike team members. "Forgive us Fenrir, we didn't know you were here or even interested in helping." He squints his eyes dangerously at me. A shiver goes up my spine, and I sink into myself. I've never felt so insignificant in my life, so this is the power of a deity. "We only came here to stop the summoning ritual, I'm so sorry if we offended you in anyway." I try to sound as sincere as possible, but my voice just shakes in fear the longer he peers at me. 

He walk all the way up to me and casts a shadow over my body. I look up and see his red eyes staring down at me. "So it would seem Uriel's chosen. So. it. Would. Seem." I cant move a single part of my body anymore. A pressure suddenly envelops me and I'm shoved to the ground by pure raw power. I cant lift my body off the ground, I'm being crushed so hard I'm making a slight indent into the ground. "I was wondering how Uriel's chosen would stack up to my power compared to Michaels son. While his angelic blood helped him, he could stand and walk in my presence. I even made a friend in the young man." I cant help my shock at hearing this, I can hardly breathe anymore. Suddenly the pressure stops and I'm able to breathe again. I look up at Fenrir and see him waiting for me to stand, looks like he wants to talk.