Price of Blood

They stood waiting, watching in silence, their breaths shallow as they stayed hidden behind the dense underbrush. The clearing was unnervingly quiet except for the occasional rustling of leaves and the faint murmurs of the monsters.

The bird-like abomination loomed over the others, its presence commanding as it stepped forward with deliberate movements, its claws leaving deep indentations in the soft earth.

For now, it seemed the bird-like monster was in charge. Its grotesque beak opened briefly, emitting a guttural clicking noise that resonated through the clearing, silencing the smaller creatures instantly. Ezra and Shirley exchanged uneasy glances as the monster's minions shuffled to form a loose circle around the weeping willow.

Two of the larger minions followed closely behind the bird-like creature, dragging something between them. Ezra squinted, his heart sinking as the smaller creature writhed and thrashed in their iron grip.

Its high-pitched squeals echoed through the clearing as it struggled desperately to free itself, its limbs clawing at the ground in a futile attempt to escape.

The smaller creature's glowing, fear-stricken eyes flickered toward the willow, its frantic movements growing even more erratic as the minions hauled it closer to the tree. The golden light filtering through the branches cast eerie shadows over its terrified form, painting a chilling picture.

"What are they doing?" Shirley whispered, his voice barely audible as he leaned closer to Ezra.

Ezra shook his head, eyes glued to the scene unfolding before them. "I don't know," he muttered, his voice tight with tension, "but it doesn't look good."

The bird-like monster tilted its head, observing the smaller creature with an almost clinical detachment. Its crest swayed gently as it moved, its hollow eyes glowing with an unsettling light. Then, with a sudden, sharp motion, it screeched—a bone-chilling sound that made the air itself feel heavier.

The minions obeyed immediately, dragging the smaller creature to the base of the willow.

Ezra's stomach churned as he watched the bird-like abomination raise one of its massive claws, pointing at the ground beneath the tree. A series of glowing glyphs flickered to life, spreading outward like veins of light. The smaller creature let out another terrified squeal as it was shoved onto the glowing symbols.

A sickening crunch echoed through the clearing, sharp and gut-wrenching. Ezra winced, his stomach turning as the head of the smaller monster plopped lifelessly onto the ground, its glowing eyes dimming in an instant. Dark, viscous blood sprayed out in violent spurts, splattering the surrounding grass and leaves with a sickly sheen.

For a moment, the clearing went eerily still, the only sound being the faint drip of blood pooling beneath the creature's twitching body.

Then, the air shifted—a cold, oppressive force pressing down on everything. The ground beneath the weeping willow trembled, and an ominous, swirling darkness began to spread from the base of the tree, like ink spilling across water.

Ezra's breath hitched as the dark mass morphed and churned, its edges jagged and unstable. It wasn't just a shadow—it was something alive, something unnatural. A portal, or at least something akin to one, had opened beneath the tree, radiating an aura so malevolent that it made Ezra's skin crawl.

The whispers that had been faint and melodic before grew louder, now a cacophony of harsh, guttural sounds that seemed to crawl inside his mind. The air thickened, and the once-brilliant sunlight dimmed as if the sky itself was recoiling from the presence of the portal. The golden leaves of the willow no longer shimmered; they now hung heavy and lifeless, their glow extinguished.

Ezra followed Shirley's gaze and felt his chest tighten. The bird-like monster let out another piercing screech, a command that sent shivers down Ezra's spine. Two more of its grotesque minions lumbered forward, dragging another struggling creature toward the base of the tree.

The smaller monster fought desperately, its pitiful cries barely audible over the suffocating weight of the whispers and the growing darkness.

The portal's edges pulsed with malevolence, growing larger with every second. It seemed hungry, insatiable. The sacrifice hadn't satisfied it—it demanded more. The monsters around the tree moved with frantic purpose, hauling the next victim forward like mindless drones, their grotesque forms illuminated by the sickly glow of the portal.